


Executive Rewind

by LonesomeBard



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Adultery, American Politics, F/F, Implied/Referenced Terrorism, Recreational Drug Use, Romance, Sex, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-30
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-08-18 16:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8168450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonesomeBard/pseuds/LonesomeBard
Summary: AU, the game characters born 20 years earlier than their respective birth dates in the game. In 2017, Max Caulfield travels accidentally back in time to 1993, whereupon her childhood friend Chloe Price was shot to death. When Max discovers that she can rewind time, she manages to save Chloe's life but she also changes the course of history and returns to a completely different reality.





	1. Prologue

**October 7, 2017** **, 11:55 p.m.**

The nightly Seattle skyline drew a picturesque image through the window occupying the western wall of a spacious loft apartment. The view had been a source of inspiration to Maxine Caulfield on numerous occasions but not tonight. The melancholic tunes of 'Hollow Glow' by Hannah Telle accompanied the middle-aged brunette as she sat on the couch, delving into a photo album on her lap, interrupted only by the occasional sip from the glass of merlot on the living room table.

She gazed at a self-portrait of a young and enthusiastic girl in front of a school building, dressed in ragged baggy jeans, a lilac Pearl Jam t-shirt and a grey plaid flannel shirt. 'Sep 3, '93, First day!' was written with a permanent marker on the white space of the Polaroid picture. Maxine, or Max as she liked to be called, had taken the 'selfie' on her first day at the Blackwell Academy, located in the small coastal town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon. It was a private senior high school that had an acclaimed photography program taught by one of the most renowned photographers of the late 70's and early 80's, Mark Jefferson.

Max had returned to her old hometown after a five-year absence. In addition to the beginning of school, she anticipated but also feared the possible encounter with her childhood friend, Chloe Price, who she had not seen since her departure. Chloe's father William had died in a car accident just before the Caulfield family had moved to Seattle and Chloe had not taken the unexpected move well. Max and Chloe had had a falling out on the day before the move and they had not been in in contact since.

The reunion had never taken place, though, as twenty-four years to date, Chloe had been shot to death by Nathan Prescott in the girls' restroom of the Blackwell Academy main building. Max herself had been a witness to the shooting, as she had been hiding behind the stalls during the event. Nathan, the scion of the most influential family in Arcadia Bay, had been found guilty of a murder in the second degree, and since the insanity plea had fallen through, he was serving a life-sentence at the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem.

The shooting had set in motion a series of events, unravelling what would be regarded as the most heinous act of crime in the history of Arcadia Bay. Nathan Prescott had admitted that he had assisted Mark Jefferson to capture several female students of Blackwell and deliver them to a bomb shelter converted into a photography studio beneath a barn owned by the Prescott family. In that studio, Mark Jefferson had taken advantage of the victims and photographed them in their incapacitated state. 'Captured their innocence', as he would later say in the interrogation. One of the victims, one Rachel Amber that had been reported missing since previous spring, had died as a result of drug overdose at one of the photo sessions. Also Mark Jefferson had been given a life sentence on the basis of conspiracy to murder and multiple sexual felonies. He kept Nathan company at the Oregon State Pen.

Max had been devastated to find out that the girl shot in the restroom was in fact her childhood friend, Chloe. Another blow was that her photography teacher that she had always admired and kept in high regard, turned out to be a perverted sexual predator. Disillusioned, Max had almost quit Blackwell, but with the support of her new friend, Kate Marsh, she had made it through her senior year and graduated among the top students of her class on the spring of 1994.

Max had moved back to Seattle and began her studies at the Seattle University on a full scholarship. Already during her studies, she had begun to make name in the art circles of the west coast and by the time she got her Bachelor's degree from the Seattle University, Max had already held several exhibitions and her works had been published in various publications, including the National Geographic. The peak of her career had been in the 2000's, during which she had covered both the Afghanistan and Iraq war, among other features.

By the early 2010's, Max's star had begun to vane and she had retreated from the public eye, living off the royalties of her works. She had been offered a teacher's position at Blackwell but she had declined. She'd kept in touch with Kate but otherwise she lived in solitude.

Max took another sip from the wine glass and turned the page on the photo album. There was a picture of a Peleides Blue Morpho, a blue butterfly. Max's heart skipped a beat, when she saw the picture. She had taken it on the same day Chloe had been shot, just moments before the incident between Chloe and Nathan had taken place.

Max took the picture in her hands. A single tear ran down her cheek. _Oh, Chloe, I still miss you. We had such a good time together, when we were kids. I'm so sorry that I had to leave you on your darkest moment._

Max kept gazing at the picture wistfully. _Ugh, I'd really need my reading glasses,_ she thought, when the picture went blurry. The brunette couldn't be bothered to go to the bedroom to get the glasses, so she squinted her eyes and did her best to focus on the picture. Suddenly the image vibrated and she could hear ambient noise, like it had come from the photo. _What the fuck is this? I could swear that the image moved. But I've only had one glass._ Max squinted her eyes again and got the image sharp. Again the picture began vibrating and the ambient noise returned. _What is happening?_ she thought as the vibration picked up pace and she could hear her own heartbeat synchronize to it. All of a sudden everything faded into a white haze.

-ooo-

 _Click, whrrrrr!_ The shutter of a Polaroid JobPro 600 instant camera went off and a photo was spat out from the slot below the optics. Max took the photo from the camera and shook it a few times out of habit. The image of a Blue Morpho begun to appear on the paper.

At that point, the brunette became aware of her surroundings. _What the fuck? Where am I?_ She looked down and saw the butterfly sitting at the edge of the bucket. She turned around until she caught her image on the mirror. Instead of a gracefully aged 42-year old woman, there was girl in her late teens staring back at her. A dishevelled bob graced the freckled but otherwise immaculate face. A plaid flannel shirt, which sleeves had been rolled up to the elbows covered an Alice in Chains band shirt. A ragged pair of Levi's 501s completed the grunge armour. She kept looking around and she recognized her surroundings to be the girls' restroom of Blackwell Academy.

 _Ok, something's seriously fucked up right now!_ Max thought in panic. _But what? I'm not on any medication and I haven't been baking for some time, so how is it possible that I'm in this shithole in my younger body?_

Max walked to the door and opened it slightly. There was a bright haze coming out of the door slot. _Oh crap! I should've not tried acid back in college! I'm stuck on a hella bad trip!_ She walked back to the corner, where she had taken the photo. _Hey wait a second! If I'm here and I took that photo, it means-_

The brunette's thoughts interrupted by the sound of the door opening and someone stepping in. Max took a peak and saw a young man in his late teens pacing around frantically and checking the stalls. Max recognized him to be Nathan Prescott.

"It's cool, Nathan… Don't stress…You're okay, bro. Just count to three…" the young man rambled to himself.

"Don't be scared… You own this school… If I wanted, I could blow it up… You're the Boss…" he continued rambling, while he stared himself at the mirror.

A moment later, the door opened again and girl in her early twenties stepped in. She had a long straight hair, completely dyed in blue. A tight tank top made by ripping the sleeves off from a Slayer band shirt was covered by a denim vest adorned by numerous thrash metal band logos. Her slim legs were covered by ripped tight black jeans complemented by a studded belt. A leather wrist cuff adorned her left arm while a sleeve tattoo covered most of her right arm. A bullet necklace completed the outfit. Max felt her heart skip another beat, when she recognized the girl. Even though her appearance was completely different from her childhood, the piercing blue eyes told Max that she was looking at Chloe Price.

"So what do you want?" Nathan asked from the thrasher girl.

"I hope you checked the perimeter, as my step-ass would say," she said while pushing the stall doors open. "Now, let's talk bidness."

"I got nothing for you," the young man scowled.

"Wrong. You got hella cash," Chloe turned to face him.

 _Oh shit! This is happening all over again,_ Max thought as she stood behind the stalls and listened the heated exchange of words. _Chloe is going to get herself killed._

"…Nobody would miss your 'thrashy ass', would they?" Nathan said furiously, pointing the gun he had drawn a moment ago at the Chloe.

"Get that gun away from me, psycho!" the thrasher yelled frantically.

"No!" Max shouted and reached out as the gun went off. What happened next, was beyond her comprehension. The thrasher girl that was about to fall dead to the ground seemed to slow down until she came to a standstill in mid-air. All of a sudden, the sight in front of the brunette shifted and everything began to go backwards. Chloe returned to a standing position and the deadly projectile came out of her abdomen and returned into the chamber. The events scrolled backwards at an accelerating pace until everything jerked to halt and she found herself alone in the restroom again.

 _What the fuck just happened?_ Max stared at her hand. _I somehow rewound time. How is this possible?_ She was pulled out of her thoughts as the door opened and Nathan stepped back in. Max pulled herself out of sight.

"It's cool, Nathan… Don't stress…You're okay, bro. Just count to three…" the young man began the same rambling as before.

 _That's the same rant as before! I did rewound time!_ Max thought in amazement. _But that means Chloe is going to enter the room any moment and get herself killed, unless…_

The brunette looked around. She could hear the door opening and the thrasher girl enter the room and begin the discourse. On the wall there was a fire alarm but the hammer to break the glass was missing. _Oh for fuck's sake! Don't people respect public property anymore!_

"…You are going to get in hella more trouble for this than drugs," Max heard Chloe say. _I'm running out of time!_ she thought. _How did I pull that rewind thing off?_ She stretched her arm and concentrated. Again with a swooshing sound, she could see the time come to standstill and starting to go back. After a moment she relaxed her arm. _Ok, where's that hammer? What's under this washing bucket… a-ha!_ Max thought victoriously as she saw the hammer lying on the floor. She picked up the hammer, smashed the glass and pushed the button.

"No way…" Nathan managed to say before Chloe thrusted her knee into his groins.

"Don't _ever_ touch me again, freak!" she shouted at the young man lying on the ground, before she exited the restroom.

 _Booyah!_ Max thought as she watched Nathan get himself together and leaving. _I did it! Chloe didn't die!_ She walked in front of the basins and looked herself at the mirror. _That leaves me. How am I going to get back home?_

Like an answer to her question, the restroom began to fade into the bright haze, enclosing the brunette inside it.

-ooo-

Max gasped and instinctively thrusted herself into a sitting position as she came to. She blinked her eyes a couple of times to adjust into the darkness. She realized that she was in bed but it didn't feel like her own bed.

 _Where am I?_ Max thought, when she tried to get her bearings. _That dream was so surreal! I was back in Blackwell and I was somehow able to rewind time. And I saved Chloe._ She scrabbled the bedside table and managed to find a light switch. _It would've been nice, if I had had such powers back then._ She flicked the switch and a bleak light illuminated her side of the bed. Max looked around in amazement.

 _Ok, this is definitely not my bedroom,_ she thought as she saw the satin bed clothing and the antique furniture. _This must be some fancy hotel room or something. The only question is, how the fuck did I end up here?_

Max realized that she was wearing a silky nightgown. Definitely different from a t-shirt and boxers that she usually wore in bed. She turned to look at the other side of the bed. There was woman sleeping in there. _Ok, now just who might that be?_ Max pulled the duvet a bit to get a better look and gasped again, when she recognized her sleeping partner. The strawberry blonde hair was elegantly cut short from the neck, growing longer towards the face. She was definitely older as there were a few wrinkles around the eyes but the woman next to her was none other than Chloe.

 _Chloe?!_ Max looked at the sleeping woman in amazement. _She's alive! How is this possible?_ She thought about what had happened in her dream. _Maybe it wasn't a dream after all. I somehow travelled back in time and changed the course of events. This is fucking amazeballs!_

Max laid her hand on the sleeping woman's shoulder. _So I'm with Chloe in this reality or whatever this is,_ she thought. The blonde whined and opened her eyes and gave a flustered frown to the brunette.

"What is it?" Chloe grumbled.

"You, you're alive," Max said, genuine enthusiasm in her voice.

"Yeah, not dead yet," the blonde mumbled. "Can I please go back to sleep?"

"Are we in some fancy hotel?" Max asked. "This place looks pretty expensive."

"Fancy hotel, yeah right," Chloe snorted. "Go back to sleep."

A knock on the door broke the conversation. A tall woman in a business suit stepped in. It had been over twenty years, since Max had seen her last but she appeared not to have aged one year and the pixie haircut on the blonde hair was unmistakeable.

"Victoria, what are you doing here?"

Victoria Chase stepped inside the bedroom with a serious look on her face.

"Madam President," the blonde said. "Sorry to wake you up but you are needed in the Situation Room."

**To be continued...**


	2. SNAFU

**October 8, 2017** **, 0:35 a.m.**

"Madam _what?"_ Max asked, staring flabbergasted at Victoria.

"President," the blonde said with a bemused expression on her face.

"Of _what?"_ the brunette asked, even more amazed.

"The United States. Are you all right, Ma'am?" Victoria asked apprehensively.

"I-, yes," Max stammered. "Please, give me a moment."

"I'll wait outside," Victoria said and closed the door behind her.

Max sat in the bed, trying to comprehend the reality she was in. _I'm the fucking President of the United States! Oh crap, what am I supposed to do now?_

"If the Wicked Witch of the West Wing sees it important enough to drag you out of bed, you'd better not keep her waiting," Chloe grumbled under the duvet.

Max looked at the woman next to her diffidently. Apparently Chloe was the First Lady of the United States, based on that they were sharing the bed and on the rings that adorned the ring fingers of both women. That wasn't an issue per se as the brunette had come to realize that she was bisexual, with inclination to the female sex already back in college. The thing was that Max was married to her childhood friend, with whom she had not parted ways in best of terms, when she had moved to Seattle. Obviously they had reconciled since they were now sharing the bed but what was the nature of their relationship now? Were they still passionately in love or had they just fallen into a routine? Either way, despite her sexual preference and the fact that she cared great deal about Chloe, she still saw her as her childhood friend.

Still, Max felt that she shouldn't just bluntly get off the bed, so she lifted the duvet slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Chloe's cheek. The gesture didn't awake any reaction from the blonde. _Mmm-kay, pretty stale, I'd say._

The brunette got out of bed. _Hmm, I probably should get a change of clothes. A nightgown and robe won't probably cut it in the Situation Room,_ she thought as she tried to look around for something to wear.

"For Pete's sake! What's wrong with you tonight?" an aggravated voice from the bed said. "Your stuff is in the dressing room! Get changed and try not to wake me on your way out, I have an important meeting first thing."

 _That's Chloe, all right. There's no doubt about it,_ Max thought, when she walked to the door next to her side of the bed and pulled it open. Calling it a dressing room was mildly put. It was a large space occupied by hangers, drawers and closets containing all kinds of clothing, shoes and other apparel. On one wall there was a huge dresser with a mirror, containing all the possible beauty products that Max could come up with, all designer brands. At the end of the room there was another door that she assumed to lead to the bathroom. _I guess, I won't be wearing jeans for some time,_ Max thought, when she had recovered from her initial shock.

Max got out of the nightgown and selected a clean grey t-shirt adorned by print of the presidential seal. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie that had the presidential seal embroidered on it. As a last touch Max slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers and turned to look her image in the mirror. _Ready for the snake pit, shaka brah!_

The brunette made her way through the bedroom to the door at the opposite corner. She cast a quick glance at the bed but she saw no movement. Apparently Chloe had got back to sleep or was pretending hard to be doing so. Max opened the door, where Victoria was waiting her, looking impatient.

"The others are waiting for you in the situation room, Ma'am," the blonde said as they walked through the residence. They went through another door into a corridor, where a woman wearing a black suit was standing by.

"Dana!" Max said bewildered, when she recognized the woman.

"Ma'am," Secret Service Agent Dana Ward greeted her commanding officer and joined them. "Doe and Queen are on the move," she talked into the microphone.

 _My codename is Doe?_ Max thought as she walked alongside Victoria towards the West Wing. - _And Victoria is Queen? Well, that makes sense. I take that she must be the White House Chief of Staff._ Max didn't dare to ask it out loud to confirm, though.

"Ma'am, are you listening to me?" Victoria asked slightly piqued.

"Uh, sorry," the President said apologetically. "Still a bit drowsy."

The assumed Chief of Staff let out a discreet sigh. "I was saying that the Operation Chrysalis is in motion. Dr. Graham will fill you in with the latest development."

-ooo-

Max, Victoria and Dana arrived to the basement floor of the West Wing. Dana took her post while the other two walked through the open door into a rather large conference room populated by both military and civilian personnel. Most of the people were unbeknownst to Max, save for three people.

The first was Warren Graham. His wavy hair has greyed somewhat from the temples and a pair of glasses adorned the dark circled eyes. There was no sign of his trademark goofy grin. He wore a two-piece suit, complemented by a knitted slipover vest over his shirt. He was in desperate need of a shave.

The second familiar face was Fernando Alvarez, Max's friend from her Seattle years. He wasn't wearing his jacket at the moment. He had rolled the shirt sleeves and the tie was hanging loosely around the unbuttoned collar.

The third one was David Madsen, in full Army uniform, four stars adorning both epaulets and chest full of decorations. He still had the same fade haircut as he had had, when Max had seen him the first time. The only difference was that it was now completely grey. The chevron moustache still had a hint of its original color left.

Everyone in the room stood up and turned to face the brunette. Max looked at the lot bemusedly, before she realized that they were waiting some sign from her. "As you were," she finally said and most of the people sat down. Of the few still standing included Warren Graham and David Madsen. Max resisted the urge to give her old classmate a hug. "Hi, Warren," she simply said.

"Madam President," Dr. Warren Graham, the National Security Advisor, answered pertinently. "We've been able to pinpoint Sayid Bin Abdullah, the leader of the Jihadist cell Crimson Crescent into a warehouse in Kunduz," he started the briefing. "We have a Special Forces unit in position, ready to apprehend him. We are getting live feed from the spot."

"Do we have confirmation that he is still there?" Victoria Chase asked.

"Or sources tell us that he entered the building five hours ago and he hasn't left it since," Fernando Alvarez, the Operations Director of CIA said.

"How many are inside the building in addition to Sayid?" the blonde asked.

"Half a dozen, ten tops," Fernando answered.

"Do we have a risk analysis?"

"One or two wounded but no casualties on our side, Ma'am," General Madsen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. "Sixty to eighty percent rate of fatalities on the opposing side, Sayid is left unharmed or lightly wounded."

Max had sat down into a cozy looking chair at the end of the table that she assumed to be the President's. She listened in awe how Victoria and the others went through the proceedings of a military operation. Max was a pacifist by nature. How the hell had she ended up in a position, where she had the power and responsibility to send people to kill or to be killed in conflicts.

"Madam President?" David Madsen snapped Max out of her thoughts.

"Y-yes?"

"Are we go?" the general asked. Everyone turned to look at the brunette, who sat in her chair in bewilderment.

"Um, y-yes, we are go," Max finally said insecurely.

"Very well, Ma'am," David said, glancing at his Commander-in-Chief slightly puzzled. "Raven 1, this is Control. You are go, I repeat, you are go!"

The people in the Situation Room followed from the screens as the Special Forces troopers barged into the warehouse and began securing the premises. One of the screens showed satellite imagery of the warehouse. In less than a minute the building was secured. There was only one issue.

"There's no-one inside the premises," the voice of the team leader said from the loudspeakers.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Madsen asked.

"Positive. The birds have flown," Raven 1 answered. "Wait a second, what's this… Oh fuck! Abort! Ab-" The screen flashed for a fraction of a second before it turned blank. The feed from the satellite showed the warehouse disappear into a bright flash before turning into a flaming and smoking rubble.

"Raven 1, this is Control. Are you still there?" David Madsen asked frantically. "Raven 1, this is Control, come in!" He looked at the blank screen for a moment, before muttering a silent 'crap'.

"What happened?" Max asked.

"They-, they must've know we were coming and set up a time delayed bomb that would activate, when someone enters the building," David Madsen explained with a slight tremor in his voice.

"How is this possible?" the Chief of Staff huffed, staring furiously at the Director of Operations.

"I don't understand," Fernando Alvarez said incredulously. "The intel was good and we had it cross checked."

"Tell that to the widows of those soldiers who just died in there!" Victoria snapped at him.

Max followed the heated exchange of words in shock. She had just sent those soldiers to their death. _Oh my god! Those men are dead because of me! They are dead and I can't take it back – or can I?_ She looked at her hand. _Could I just rewind back and tell David that the operation is no go? Only one way to find out._

Max stretched her arm and concentrated. Again, with a swooshing sound, everything came to a standstill and began to scroll backwards. The brunette saw how the smoke on the burning building was drawn back, followed by the explosion reversing and the building standing again intact. A few backward spoken sentences later, Max let go of the time stream.

"Madam President?" David Madsen asked.

"Yes?"

"Are we go?" the General asked.

"Um, is there any way of making sure that those men aren't walking into a trap?" Max asked.

"What do you mean?" Madsen asked slightly restlessly.

"Is there a way to verify that there is actually someone inside the building?"

"Does the team have a through wall radar with them?" Fernando asked.

"Yes, but then there's a high risk that we'll lose the element of surprise," Madsen answered. "I'd advise against that."

"Could we check it anyway?" Max asked.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, you may be my Commander-in-Chef but since you don't have knowledge in military tactics, I'd suggest you trust my judgement on this," David said. "I'll issue the command."

 _Shit! This conversation isn't going the right way. Let's try it again,_ Max thought and stretched her arm to rewind the time again. _Ok, Caulfield, time to grow some balls!_

"Are we go?" the General asked.

"I want to make sure that we are not sending those men into a trap," Max said sternly. "I want the building scanned with a through wall radar from all sides to make sure that there is actually someone inside."

"Madam President, I-," David started but shut up, when Max stood up and placed her knuckles firmly on the table.

"Was there something in my order you didn't understand, General?" the brunette said with a low voice.

David Madsen stared at the brunette defiantly for a brief moment. "I-, no, Ma'am," the general yielded with a frown. "Raven 1, this is Control, do you copy?"

"Control, this is Raven 1, standing by," the voice on the loudspeaker said.

"Raven 1, perform a scan to the building with the through wall radar from all sides."

"Control, please repeat. Do you want us to scan the building?"

"Correct, scan the building."

"But-"

"Raven 1, you have your orders," David Madsen said, not trying to hide his frustration.

"Copy that, Control."

Max cast a quick glance towards Victoria, who had been quiet through the debate since the rewind. She couldn't tell from the blonde's expression whether she was for or against her decision. Undoubtedly, the subject would be brought up at a later moment.

"Control, this is Raven 1. According to the radar, there is no one in the building," the team leader said on the speaker.

"Raven 1, are you positive?" David Madsen asked.

"Positive, Sir."

"How's that possible?" Fernando asked. "Our surveillance doesn't indicate anyone having left the premises."

"There must be some passage that doesn't show on the blueprints," Raven 1 said.

"All right, go in and sweep the premises. See if you can locate that passage," David instructed.

"Hold on, Raven 1," Max said. "Have you got equipment to check if the entrance has been booby trapped?"

"Yes, Ma'am, we have an endoscope," the voice on the speaker said.

"I suppose we can all agree at this point that whoever was in there knew right from the start that we were coming," Max said to the General, when she saw his expression. "If someone's gone through the trouble of getting an U.S. military unit into an empty warehouse, I'd put my money on that there's a nasty surprise waiting for them."

"I can't argue with that," Victoria said.

"Check the door, Raven 1," David Madsen said resignedly.

"Copy that."

The people in the Situation Room followed as one of the team members drilled a hole into the door and an endoscope was pushed through.

"Control, Raven 1," the team leader spoke. "There definitely seems to be some kind of triggering mechanism attached to the door. It seems to be connected to what may or may not be an explosive device."

"Very well, Raven 1, retreat and wait for further instructions," David Madsen said.

"General, arrange a bomb squad at the site and either disarm or detonate the possible bomb. The President wants a full report first thing in the morning," Victoria said. "Madam President, we'll take it from here. Agent Ward will escort you back to the residence.

-ooo-

"Here we are Madam President," Dana Ward said to Max at the door.

"Dana, may I ask, how did you end up being a Secret Service Agent?" Max asked.

"After the tornado hit Arcadia Bay, I felt I needed to do something meaningful with my life. I enlisted in the Marines and the rest is history, Ma'am," Dana answered.

Max could barely hide her reaction. _A tornado hit Arcadia Bay? When did this happen?_ The brunette dared not to go into the details, though. She'd look it up tomorrow. "Hey, we go way back, you and me. You can call me Max," she said instead.

"Not while I'm on duty, Ma'am," Dana chuckled. "Madam President, your nose," she said suddenly with a concerned look on her face.

Max felt her nose. There was a trickle of blood coming out from the other nostril.

"Are you all right, Ma'am? Should I call the doctor?" Dana asked, digging out a handkerchief from her breast pocket and passing it to the brunette.

"No, I'm all right," Max said, taking the handkerchief and trying to hide her bafflement.

"If you say so, Ma'am," Dana said, still looking concerned.

"Yes, I'm good, thanks," Max said, returning the stained handkerchief. "Good night then."

"Good night, Madam President." Dana closed the door behind the brunette.

Max walked to the dressing room and switched back into the nightgown, before snuggling next to Chloe, who was snoring quietly on her side of the bed. The brunette lied awake, trying to comprehend what had happened. She'd somehow travelled back in time, where she had managed to prevent her childhood friend being shot by somehow being able to rewind time. She'd returned back to find out that she was now the President of the United States. _This is fucking cereal!_ Max thought before she fell asleep.

**To be continued...**


	3. Let Me Google That for You

**October 8, 2017** **, 6:50 a.m.**

A blinding light shone against Max's face. She squint her eyes to adjust to the brightness and make some sense of her surroundings. She appeared to be in a windowless room opposite to her was a couch and on one side there was a desk with a computer and an expensive looking printer. Next to the desk was a file cabinet filled with red files, each with a name tag on its back. Max realized that she was bound to an armchair from her wrists and ankles with duct tape. She turned her head to see a large whitewall. A camera was standing on a tripod and there were a few flash reflectors on posts.

It didn't require much effort to deduct that she was in a photography studio of sorts. She tried to writhe herself free but the duct tape didn't give in. Max was just about to cry for help, when she heard footsteps.

"Oh, good, you're awake," a man in his mid-forties said as he stepped into the room. It had been twenty-four years, since Max had seen him but she recognized him immediately.

"Mark Jefferson," the brunette said blankly.

"Now, Maxine, is that a way to address your elders, especially your teacher?" Mark Jefferson asked condescendingly.

"Only then Max realized that she was in her teenage body. _Is this a dream, or more precisely, a nightmare? This must be that dark room that Jefferson used for his twisted perversions,_ the brunette deducted. _But why am I here? Jefferson was caught before I ever got captured._

"You probably don't realize how thrilled I am to finally have you here in my dark room," the man said with his eyes glimmering. "When I saw you walking into my class on the first day, I knew that you're the one I've been looking for," he explained as he was setting up his camera. "You were the incarnation of innocence in its purest form. A perfect sample for my project. I want to capture that innocence and document its transition into corruption."

Max listened to her former teacher's ranting to the point where she began to simply feel bored. "I hate to break your fantasies but I stopped being innocent since I saw my best friend being shot to death before my eyes, by your so-called protégé, I might add, _Mark,_ " the brunette said sarcastically. Her body might have been one of a teenager but her mind was still one of a middle-aged woman and she wasn't going to be intimidated by this authority bullshit from anyone that close to her own age.

Jefferson frowned at her sharply, before he put his camera on the table and took a gun from the shelf. "If that's the case, my dear Maxine, I'm afraid you've outlived your usefulness," he said, aiming the gun at the brunette.

"H-hey, can't we discuss about this?" Max asked frantically, when she saw the gun.

"Remember my number one rule, Maxine?" Jefferson asked as he took aim. "Always take the shot." He squeezed the trigger but never got to the point where the hammer would be released, as the roof was suddenly ripped off by a torrential gust of wind. He turned to face the inclement sky in awe, before he was violently pulled away by another gust.

Max watched in terror how the walls around her were ripped apart and she was exposed to the elements. She was now on a cliff, next to a lighthouse, which she recognized to be the landmark of Arcadia Bay. She was still tied to the chair. The sky was almost black and the rain lashed against her face. Max's jaw dropped open as she saw an enormous tornado wreaking havoc at the ocean and slowly heading towards Arcadia Bay.

_My god, is this the tornado Dana was talking about?_ Max thought as the deadly vortex engulfed the coastal town. _How can anyone have survived that?_

The brunette turned her head to see that the view had again changed. She was facing a long pool with the Washington Monument standing proudly at the opposite end. Max realized that her chair was now in the middle of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, replacing the statue of the president to whom the memorial was dedicated to. The morning sun was gleaming in the horizon, drawing a sharp contrast to the obelisk.

Suddenly the gleam grew into a blinding flash that soon evolved to a glowing mushroom cloud, rising thousands of feet above the ground. A blast wave expanded towards her, consuming everything in its way. Within seconds, the destructive force had reached the memorial, tearing the pillars around her and engulfing her into a flaming inferno.

"Gaaah!" Max gasped as she jolted awake. She pulled her knees against her chest and took a moment to catch her breath. _That has got to be the worst,_ she thought as she looked around her. The morning sun gave some light to the bedroom between the drapes to reveal a completely unfamiliar sight. _Hmm, I guess I'm still the President._

Max looked at the other side of the bed, only to find it empty and hastily made. _Chloe's left already. I wish I could've talked with her,_ she thought as she pushed the duvet away. On the other hand, Max doubted that her apparent spouse would have been less than willing to offer a shoulder, based on her behaviour last night. Of course Chloe could have been tired and just wanted to sleep but Max sensed that there was something else.

The brunette got up and pulled a robe over her nightgown and put her feet into a pair of slippers.

_So, do presidents eat breakfast?_ Max asked herself, when she walked out of the bedroom. _Apparently it doesn't get served in bed._

_I wonder where the kitchen is,_ the brunette thought when she peeked through closed doors. Finally, the fifth door she tried revealed a kitchen that was quite well equipped. A chef was walking around the kitchen, preparing various dishes.

"Good morning, Madam President," the chef greeted the brunette.

"Oh, good morning," Max said, slightly bemused. _Of course there's a chef that prepares your meal, duh._

"Is everything all right in the dining room, Ma'am?" the chef asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"Um, yes," Max answered. "I took the wrong door by mistake. Didn't get much sleep last night," she said, feigning to be embarrassed.

"Happens to all of us, Ma'am," the chef said smiling. "Would you like wheat toast or raisin bran for breakfast today?"

"Um, could I get a Belgian waffle and some bacon on the side, please?" Max asked casually, making the chef cast a wondering look at her.

"A Belgian waffle and bacon, Ma'am?" he asked abashedly.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"N-no problem, Madam President," the chef said hastily. "It's just that not once in your term you've requested waffle and bacon. You just surprised me, Ma'am, that's all."

Max let out a warm smile to calm down the bemused man. "I haven't had a decent Belgian waffle for a long time, so I thought I'd indulge myself," she said. "I mean if it's not too much trouble."

"No, Ma'am." The chef let out a smile. "No trouble at all. If you go to the dining room, I'll have them ready in no time."

"Thank you," the brunette said. _The dining room... Please let it be this door,_ she wished as she opened the other door in the kitchen. Her wish was granted with a room that had a relatively small table compared to the size of the room. _I suppose there's no point of having a very large table, if there's only two of us._ The table had been set for one. A steaming pot of coffee was next to a cup and a saucer. Next to the coffee pot, there was a file that was marked as classified, a selection of newspapers, including USA Today, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, and an iPad.

Max sat down and poured herself a cup of coffee. She took the iPad in her hands and unlocked it with her thumb. _All right, let's search: Maxine Caulfield,_ she thought and tapped her name on the browser address field. As expected, the first result was: 'Maxine Caulfield – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia'. She tapped the link.

_Maxine Siobhán Caulfield (born September 21, 1975) is an American politician serving as the 45_ _th_ _President of the United States. She is the youngest elected (41), as well as the first female and the first openly homosexual president to hold the office. Born in Arcadia Bay, Oregon, Caulfield is a graduate of Seattle University and Yale University. She is a survivor of the tornado Reina that levelled Arcadia Bay on October 11, 1993._

Max clicked the hyperlink about the tornado, which opened on a new tab, and returned to the wiki page about her.

_Caulfield caught attention by the media as she travelled across the Oregon state and the neighbouring states raising funds to rebuild Arcadia Bay. Her photo reportage of the demolished town was published in the National Geographic magazine. Caulfield ran for alderman to the newly formed town council after the rebuild was completed in 1995, in which position she served until she was elected to the House of Representatives in 1999. Caulfield served as a Congresswoman until 2011, when she was elected as the Governor of Oregon. She began her presidential campaign in 2014 and she won the primary campaign against Hillary Rodham Clinton to receive the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party. She then defeated Republican nominee Donald Trump in the general election by a clear margin by getting 70 % of the cast votes. Caulfield managed to win the conservative voters over by naming Kate Marsh Barkley as her Vice President candidate._

_Kate's my Veep?_ Max thought as she took a sip from her coffee. _Damn, this coffee is something else compared to the tar I usually drink._

The kitchen door opened and the chef appeared with a plate full of waffles and another with bacon. "Belgian waffle and bacon, Madam President," he said, setting the dishes on the table.

"Thank you..." _Damn, I don't know this guy's name!_

"James, Ma'am," the chef said with a puzzled expression.

Max raised her hand and:

**Boooooommm...**

"Thank you, James!"

"You're welcome, Ma'am." James let out a smile. "I hope you find everything satisfactory."

"If these waffles taste half as good as they look, I think we're just fine," Max said. "And the coffee is just heavenly."

"Thank you, Ma'am. It's Kopi Luvak."

"You mean the one that comes out of civet's ass?"

"Um, yes, Ma'am."

Max looked at the cup hesitantly, then she shrugged her shoulders and took another sip. "Like I said, heavenly." The brunette caught from the corner of her eye how the chef's shoulders relaxed just a bit.

"Will you be needing anything else, Ma'am?" the man asked.

"I'm good, thanks!" Max said.

James excused himself and Max dug into the waffles and bacon, which were delicious. _I could really get used to this,_ she thought as she turned her attention to the Wiki page. She quickly eyed through the policy sections. Domestic and economic policy seemed to be for the most part the continuation of the Obama legacy, emphasis on the enforcement of the LBGT rights. In foreign policy Max had apparently tried to wind down the direct involvement of the United States in international conflicts and concentrate more on providing support to legislated governments and humanitarian aid to conflict and disaster areas, with varying success. Having read those, she opened a link to a document that covered her cabinet and staff.

_Vice President_

_Right in the beginning of her campaign, Caulfield had approached Kate Barkley and offered her the vice presidency, which she had accepted. While Barkley doesn't have a background in politics, she has been actively involved in humanitarian and community work, as well as education. The U.S. Secret service codename given to Barkley is 'Aramis', referencing her religious background and faith._

_Chief of Staff_

_Victoria Chase was Caulfield's campaign manager, when she ran for Governor. Chase then assumed the position of Chief of Staff in the Governor's office. When Caulfield ran for President, Chase again took the role of campaign manager and after the election, Caulfield nominated her the White House Chief of Staff. Chase has a law degree from Harvard and an arts degree from Vassar._

_National Security Advisor_

_Dr. Warren Graham holds doctorates in science from MIT and in international studies from Princeton. He was appointed by Caulfield to the position of National Security Advisor after her election._

_Director of Communications_

_Alyssa Anderson was the Communications Director of Caulfield's campaign, assuming the position of White House Director of Communications after the election. A graduate of UCLA, Anderson has been working for Caulfield since the beginning of her political career._

_White House Press Secretary_

_Juliet Watson has a degree in journalism from Berkeley. She had done a long career for New York Times, before she was appointed as the White House Press Secretary._

All the secretaries in Max's cabinet were names that she wasn't familiar with. She found David Madsen's wiki page which briefly went through his military career, including two tours in Vietnam and the first Gulf war, after which his military career had taken off. He had made it Brigadier General in 2009 and when Max had been elected as President, she had appointed him the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Max made also notice that he was a widower, having had lost his wife Joyce to the tornado.

_What, Joyce is dead?_ Max couldn't hide her shock over the revelation. _Chloe has lost both her biological parents!_ The brunette put the tablet down and covered her face into her palms. Tears ran down on her cheeks as she thought about her history with the older woman. In her own timeline, after Chloe's death, she'd been close with Joyce and helped her and David, who had retired from the military after the shooting, to move on. Arcadia Bay and the Madsen household was still a regular visiting place for her.

"Is everything all right, Ma'am?" The chef shook Max out of her thoughts.

"I-, I-, yes, I'm all right, James," Max said, wiping the tears with a napkin.

"Is the waffle to your liking, Ma'am?" James asked.

"Oh, it's delicious." The brunette managed to get a hold of herself. "Definitely the second best Belgian waffle I've ever tasted."

"The second best, Madam President?" Max could see that the chef could barely hide his professional pride getting a dent.

"So far, nothing has surpassed the Belgian waffles that…" The emotions began to surface again but she managed to keep them at bay. "…that the late mother of my wife used to make."

"Oh, I understand. " James relaxed a bit. "The First Lady has talked about the cooking of the late Mrs. Madsen quite often."

"I'm sure she has," the brunette smiled.

"Well, I'll leave you to finish your breakfast, Ma'am," James said and left the room.

Max opened tab containing her wiki page again and scrolled down to personal life.

_Maxine Caulfield is of Irish ancestry, her lineage going back to 16_ _th_ _century in Killarney, Ireland. Her great-grandfather, Michael Caulfield immigrated to United States in 1912. Caulfield is a member of the Catholic Church._

_Besides her native English, Caulfield speaks some French, having learned the language at school. She is a talented photographer and still takes pictures, when her schedule allows._

_Caulfield became known as one of the victims of Mark Jefferson, a serial sexual predator, who was teaching photography at the Blackwell Academy, while Caulfield was attending._

_What! I was a victim of that bastard?_ Max thought as she opened a link to an online article of Marie Claire, headlined: 'President Candidate Maxine Caulfield opens up about her abduction'. In the article, Max had recapped her experiences while being captured by Jefferson. Apparently, the article had won Max a lot of sympathy votes.

_Caulfield has known her wife, Chloe Elizabeth Price, since her childhood. They didn't become couple, though, until they reunited in 1993, when Caulfield, after living five years in Seattle, returned to Arcadia Bay to do her senior year at the Blackwell Academy. They got married on June 1, 2004, after the State of Massachusetts had legalized same-sex marriage on May 17_ _th_ _. Neither Caulfield nor Price has any offspring._

_The First Lady is widely known for her charity work for children with dismembered limbs both home and abroad. Having lost her left foot in an accident in her youth and using a prosthesis in place, Chloe Price has dedicated her life for children that have lost their limbs in accidents. The foundation bearing her name has raised funds to help to develop better working prosthesis and do research on growing limbs, using stem cells._

_Chloe has a prosthetic leg?_ Max thought in shock as she tried to find more information about the accident that had resulted with the dismemberment to no avail. She gave up on that and opened the tab about the Arcadia Bay tornado.

_During the evening of October 11, 1993, a violent EF5 tornado touched down in Arcadia Bay, killing 15% of the town population. The town_ _center_ _by the seaboard was completely destroyed by the tornado._ _The tornado travelled a 10-mile path and wound down right beyond Arcadia Bay town limits._

Max read through the meteorological synopsis, which described the forming of the tornado a freak of nature as the environmental conditions had not predicted the forming of the supercell that produced the tornado. There was however a mention of unexplainable phenomena that preceded the tornado: a snowfall, a solar eclipse, beached whales and two moons. Each of the phenomena had taken place on four consecutive days before the tornado.

_Oh my goodness!_ Max thought as she read on about the summary and aftermath of the catastrophe. There was a separate page dedicated to the victims of the tornado. She didn't recognize most of the names on the list but there were a few familiar ones: Frank Bowers, Taylor Christensen, Stella Hill, Justin Williams, Evan Harris, Anderson Berry, Samuel Taylor, Nathan Prescott, Sean Prescott, Ray Wells. A lump rose to her throat, when she found the name that she had been looking for: Joyce Madsen.

Max wiped another trickle of tears as she looked at a picture of a destroyed Two Whales diner, taken by her. She went on reading about how the survivors had worked effortlessly to rebuild the town, with the future President being one of the driving forces to bring the town back on its feet.

The Blackwell Academy had been mostly spared from the storm and it had been restored and reopened only months after the storm. The academy had gained a lot of popularity and the number of students had grown each year, resulting that the campus area had expanded largely during the course of years and was now regarded one of the most highly regarded schools in the Pacific Northwest.

Max put the iPad on the table and took a moment to process all that she had read and how it reflected upon the nightmare she had had. _If the dark room and the tornado actually happened, does this mean that the nuclear bomb will explode in Washington D.C.? And if this is the case, can I do something to prevent it?_

Max was shook out of her thoughts, when the door to the dining room opened and a woman of Max's age stepped in. She couldn't hide her resentment, when she recognized the woman, who seemed not to have aged one year since the brunette had seen her last.

"Good Morning, Madam President," Courtney Wagner greeted her.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked reservedly, resulting a slightly surprised look on the woman's face.

"I have your schedule for today, Madam President," Courtney said bemusedly.

"My schedule?" Max asked, not being able to hide her surprise. "Are you my…?"

"I'm your personal aide, your body woman, Ma'am," Courtney answered even more abashed.

"You're my what?" the brunette blurted out.

"Ma'am, are you all right-"

**Boooooommm...**

"Good Morning, Madam President," Courtney Wagner greeted her.

"Good Morning, Courtney," Max greeted her back, trying her best to look deadpanned. "You have my schedule?"

"I have it right here, Ma'am," Courtney opened her tablet. "I've taken some time to go through the itinerary of your trip to Arcadia Bay right after your intel meeting."

"To... Arcadia Bay...?" Max again blurted out against her better judgment.

"Yes, to Arcadia Bay. You're inaugurating the new Rachel Amber Dormitory at the Blackwell Academy on the eleventh. Surely you haven't forgotten about that, Ma'am?"

"Uh, no, of course not!" the brunette managed to say. "It was this week already?"

"Yes, Madam President."

Max's shoulders came down a fraction of an inch as she saw that her save seemed to be satisfactory to the other brunette. "Anything else?"

"The Secretary of State will be over to discuss about the official state gift to the Republic of Finland on its 100th Anniversary of independence."

"All right, anything else?"

"The Chief of Staff told me to make sure that you've gone through the Daily Brief before she arrives," Courtney said, nodding at the file on the table.

"When is Victoria coming?"

"In twenty minutes, Ma'am," Courtney said, looking at her watch. "You need to get changed before that."

_Twenty minutes?! Oh fuck!_ Max thought in panic. _How am I supposed to read through that and get changed in twenty minutes?_ She could feel the cold sweat going down her forehead before she realized. _Oh yeah..._

Max rewound all the way to the moment, when she entered the dining room and used the time that she had used to reading the wikis to go through the Daily Brief, and rewound a few times over to make it to the end. Max also went through the conversations with the chef and Courtney once more before finishing her breakfast and standing up.

"All right, let's get to work," the President said to her body woman.

**To be continued...**


	4. The Blackwell Wing

**October 8, 2017, 8:30 a.m.**

President Maxine Caulfield looked at her reflection in the mirror. This was the first time she'd had an opportunity to take a closer look at her appearance. The medium haircut that Max had had in her own timeline had been replaced with a similar bob that she had had in high school, although more precise and neat. The few grey strands that she used to have were nonexistent in this distinguished do. She couldn't put her finger on it but she felt that her face wasn't fully natural even though she couldn't find any scars giving away possible plastic surgery. _Well, at least the rack still feels the same._

The graphite grey two-piece suit consisting of a jacket and a knee length skirt wasn't certainly what she would call her comfort zone as her own wardrobe consisted mostly of frocks and cardigans, complimented by jeans and hoodies. The mandatory U.S. flag pin adorned the lapel of the jacket. Max had chosen a white blouse, which collar button she had left open. Black sheer stockings and court shoes with two inch heels completed the outfit. _Ready for the snake pit again, shaka brah._

Walking with the two inch heels proved to be slightly cumbersome as Max usually wore flat moccasins or sneakers. According to Courtney, who had helped Max to choose her outfit, the heels made her look more authoritative.

Max cast a final glance at the mirror before she walked out of the dressing room. She followed Courtney out of the residence. Agent Dana Ward was standing in the corridor.

"Good morning, Madam President," the President's assigned Secret Service agent greeted the brunette. She didn't extend the same courtesy to Courtney, though.

"Morning, Dana," Max responded. "Have you been here all night?"

"Oh no, Ma'am," Dana answered as she joined the two women. "Doe and Valkyrie are on the move," she spoke on her microphone. "I did get a few hours of sleep at the Horsepower."

Max made a mental note to google up 'Horsepower'. She did her best not to stumble in her high heels as they walked towards the West Wing or the Blackwell Wing as it was affectionately called by the current White House staff. While they were walking, Max reflected upon what she had read from the Wikipedia at the breakfast table. She, Chloe, Kate, Victoria, Warren, Dana, Alyssa, Juliet and Courtney were what the Wikipedia and other media called the Blackwell Nine. They all were survivors of the tornado and they all had actively contributed to the restoration of Arcadia Bay. After Arcadia Bay was on back on its feet, the student life and careers had taken each to their separate ways but Max's election had brought them back together.

The threesome arrived to a corridor that consisted of several office desks. Most of them were occupied. All the office workers greeted the President and Max did her best to return the courtesies. One desk was empty and Max noticed Courtney's name tag on it. The last desk before the door that Max suspected to lead to the Oval Office was occupied by an elderly woman.

"Good morning, Madam President," the woman greeted her

"Good morning..." Max squinted the name tag. "Edith?" Max couldn't hide her surprise, when she recognized the name and then the eyes. Pretty much everything else had changed, though.

It was Edith Thompson, the homeless lady that had resided at the alley behind the Two Whales diner. She had died pretty soon after Max had returned to Seattle in her own timeline. The Edith Thompson sitting behind the desk couldn't be further away from that homeless lady even if she tried. The navy blue suit, the healthy looking grey hair tied in a bun and the designer eyeglasses was a textbook example of a senior in her prime.

"Err, how are you today, Edith?" the brunette finally managed to ask, when she had recovered from her surprise.

"I'm good, Ma'am," Edith said. "The knee is acting up but it always is this time of year."

Max was about to go to the Oval Office but she stopped and turned on her heels. "Edith, do you happen to have the First Lady's schedule?"

"Of course, Ma'am. What do you need to know?"

"I wanted to send her flowers and I needed to know where she is or where she will be," Max explained.

"Well, let me check," Edith made a few clicks with her computer. "According to her schedule, the First Lady should be visiting the Kingsbury Center Special Needs School right about now."

"Let me check," Dana cut in. "Johnson, what's the 20 on Tank Girl?" she talked into the microphone.

 _So that's Chloe's codename,_ Max thought. _Quite becoming._

"Roger," Dana said into the microphone. "The First Lady is running about 15 minutes late from her schedule. They should be arriving at the Kingsbury Center in ten."

"They have scheduled an hour for her at the school," Edith Thompson said. "What flowers do you want to send her, Ma'am?"

"Cornflowers have always been her favorite," Max said. "Send a bouquet of those."

"Any message?"

"'Sorry for waking you up last night. XOXOX, Your first mate'," the brunette said.

"I'll have them sent to her, Madam President," Edith promised. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Vice President is waiting for you in the office."

"Kate's waiting for me?" Max cheered up. "I better not keep her waiting, then."

"Do you need me, Ma'am?" Courtney asked.

"Not right now," the brunette answered.

"I'll be at my desk, if you need me, Ma'am." the aide said and sat down at her desk.

Max walked the last steps to the Oval Office door with Dana. The agent stepped in front of her and opened the door to check that everything was all right. She then let her boss in.

"Kate!" Max said cheerfully as she saw the blonde woman standing by the bar cabinet.

"Maxine Caulfield! You really are a fucking piece of work!" Kate Barkley said angrily.

The brunette halted and stared at the smaller woman flabbergasted. This was the first time ever, when she heard Kate use the F-word.

"Kate, I don't understand," the brunette said bemusedly. "What is wrong?"

"What is wrong..." the blonde paused to open the bar cabinet, take a bottle of single malt and pour some in a glass. "...is that you vetoed my equal health care act!" she huffed and nearly emptied the glass with one swig. "I know that you're hell bent to get your gun control act through. Hell, I want it too and I was willing to support you, but that was before you decided to screw me over to get the votes you needed."

Max just stood there and stared her friend with her mouth gaped open. She'd never heard Kate use so foul language or much less drink whisky like it was water. She also couldn't believe that she, or her counterpart in this time would do such a thing to Kate. Max was about to say something, when the hidden door to the oval office opened and Victoria walked in.

"Kate, the President realizes the significance of an equal public health service, but trust me, when I say that the time isn't right for that," the taller blonde said with a smirk. "A bit early for a Scotch, isn't it?" she added.

"Oh, don't you dare to patronize me!" the Vice President scowled. "I had the necessary votes for the bill. It would've passed!"

"That was the price of getting the votes for the gun bill," Victoria said. "After what happened in Orlando and Houston, people are more amenable for the restrictions regarding weapons," she continued. "This has to happen now, while there's at least a remote chance it'll pass."

"A new gun bill won't change anything, unless you ban the guns altogether!" Kate poured herself another glass. "We all know that's not going to happen."

Victoria smiled shortly on the smaller blonde's remark. "Look, we're in the beginning of our first term. Even the gun bill is pushing it, if we consider running for second term. Trying to push the both bills on first term would jeopardize the President's re-election."

"The President can speak for herself!" the smaller blonde huffed. "Maxine, is this where you stand?"

"I… Kate…" the brunette stammered. "You know how I feel about guns…"

"Yes, I do know!" Kate slammed the glass on the table. "Good luck getting your bill passed without my support!" The Vice President marched out of the room.

"Kate!" Max took a few steps towards the door but stopped and looked heart-struck at the closed door.

"Don't worry, Ma'am, she'll come around," Victoria assured.

 _Damn! That was a really shitty thing to do to Kate,_ the brunette thought. _Maybe I should try to do something about it._

Max raised her arm and rewound back to the moment, where she had just entered the room. The small blonde turned to stare angrily at the door but her expression turned into puzzled as there was no-one there even though it had just been opened and closed.

"Kate," Max said from her side, startling her a bit. That provided the moment that she needed before Kate began her angry outburst.

"Look, I know that you're angry about the veto and you have every right to be," the brunette said, gesturing the smaller woman to hold. "Trust me, if there had been a chance, I'd gotten your approval before agreeing to the deal but I had to make the call right there and then."

"Oh I bet Hartman and Lyme put your back against the wall," Kate said, still peeved. "Those old sumbitches wouldn't love anything more than to see both bills go to oblivion. My team and I worked our asses off to get the necessary votes for that bill, all for nothing."

"I know and I appreciate all the work that you've put into it," Max said as Victoria walked into the room. "It's just that after Orlando and Houston, the general population is finally more amenable to gun restrictions. This may be our only window of opportunity to get that bill passed."

"I suppose you got a point there," Kate said.

"Still, I didn't do right by you and I want to make it up to you," the President looked the Vice President in the eyes. "If you're willing to leave your bill on the table until the re-election, I promise that it will be the first thing on my agenda on my second term." Max could see the dismay on her Chief of Staff's face as she made the proposal.

"Madam President, maybe we should take a moment to consider-," Victoria started but Max raised her hand to hush her.

"This decision is not open for discussion, Vic," the President said determinedly. "Kate, I would really need your support on the gun control act. All I can give you at this point is my humblest apology and my word."

The smaller woman looked Max straight in the eyes. The next moment her eyes brightened like she'd been reunited with a long lost friend and she let out a hint of smile. "Very well, Maxine, you have my support."

"Thank you, Kate," the brunette said with a relief on her voice. "Let's have tea some time real soon," she suggested.

"I'd like that," Kate said and smirked triumphantly to Victoria as she walked out of the office. The taller blonde didn't bother to hide her chagrin.

"Madam President, I thought you agreed with Hartman and Lyme that the equal health care bill wouldn't be brought up again while you are in the office."

"I can't afford to lose Kate's trust and support," Max said. "We'll find a way to make it happen, if and when we get re-elected. - And you really should be nicer towards Kate. We go way back, you know."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, why should I be?" Victoria said _with frustration_. "You are my number one priority. If something would happen to you and Kate Barkley would rise to presidency, she wouldn't hesitate one moment to replace me with her own chief of staff. I bet she still holds a grudge against me about that picture I took of her at the Vortex Club party twenty-four years ago."

"You mean you posted that picture into the Blackwell Usenet?" Max asked with surprise. She had remembered seeing the picture in the Usenet binaries section. The picture was of Kate dancing on a table, wearing just a bra and skirt and waving her shirt above her head. Kate had been devastated and acted nearly suicidal after that. In her timeline, when Nathan Prescott had been arrested after Chloe's shooting, the truth had been revealed and Kate's honor restored.

"Technically, I didn't post it," the blonde defended herself. "I paid one of the school nerds to scan the picture and upload it. How was I supposed to know that Nathan Prescott had drugged her so that psycho Jefferson could take pictures of her?"

"Did you apologize to her?"

"Of course I did!" Victoria huffed. "First thing, when you had talked her down from the dormitory roof and it was possible to go visit her in the hospital."

"Talked her down? You mean…" Max blurted in shock. _Kate had actually tried to kill herself?_

"Yes, can't you remember that?"

**Boooooommmmm...**

"Of course I did!" Victoria huffed. "First thing, when you had talked her down from the dormitory roof and it was possible to go visit her in the hospital."

"That was a rough day, wasn't it."

"Yeah, with that freak eclipse and all," Victoria concurred. "Anyway, I had the Blackwell Usenet group administrator to remove the picture. Not that many people would have seen it anyway. Only geeks used the Usenet back then. It would be a totally different case now with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter."

"Still, I think you should give Kate the benefit of the doubt," Max said. A wave of melancholy washed over her as she came to realize that in this reality, Kate and Victoria weren't happily married to each other like they had been in her own.

The blonde didn't seem to react to the request in any way. "Ma'am, did you go through the Daily Brief?" she asked instead.

"I did," the President responded.

"The main topic of this morning's meeting will unsurprisingly be the missing Pakistani warhead," Victoria said wryly.

Max remembered the top bullet in the brief. According to the intel reports one of the Pakistani warheads had gone AWOL during transport from one facility to another. The same reports also indicated that Sayid Bin Abdullah might be linked to the disappearance of the warhead.

"The others will be here in fifteen minutes," Victoria informed. "We have time to go through the other issues in the brief.

-ooo-

They were all sitting around the small table in the middle of the office. Max had seen this gathering in numerous movies but she could've not even in her wildest dreams imagine that she herself would be in such a meeting, much less that she would be the one calling the shots.

She was sitting in one of the two armchairs next to the fireplace, knees crossed. Victoria was sitting on the other armchair on her left. Fernando Alvarez was sitting on the right-hand sofa, closest to Max. An elderly man was sharing the sofa with him. His name was Robert Hotchkiss and he was the Secretary of State. Max was secretly disappointed as she had half hoped Téa Leoni to be her SecState.

On the left-hand sofa, there was Warren, sitting opposite to Fernando. Next to him was a woman in her fifties. She was Stacy Kowalski, Director of FBI. The third person on the sofa was David Madsen.

"All right, let's start," Victoria said. "The Director of Homeland Security wasn't able to make it this morning and Fernando is covering for the Director of Intelligence." She cast a quick glance at the paper in her hands. "Any development regarding that missing warhead? Fernando?"

"Our assets in Pakistan say that it has been smuggled out of the country," Fernando reported. "We have not been able to gather any evidence to support that."

"What are your own estimates about it?"

"It is most likely that it has been smuggled out of the country, most probably by sea," the CIA Director of Operations answered. "None of the extremist groups have not claimed to be in the possession of the warhead yet, although we regard the Crimson Crescent the most likely suspect."

"Bob, have you been in talks with the Pakistani government about this? How is it possible that whoever stole the warhead, managed to get it out of the country right under their noses?" Victoria asked agitatedly.

"I've been in talks with Prime Minister Rahani," the Secretary of State replied. "He insists that the warhead is still on Pakistani soil, as they closed all the ports and border stations as soon as they noticed that the warhead was unaccounted for. This of course after they even admitted that the warhead had gone missing."

"So basically they don't want to admit that they've let the warhead slip through their fingers." The Chief of Staff let out a deep sigh of frustration. "Is there anyone at this table that actually has some idea of that warhead's whereabouts or shall we just wait for the kaboom?"

Max had not partaken the conversation, rather than concentrated on listening and observing the others. She noticed that David Madsen was glancing her furtively. Was he still holding a grudge about last night or was it something else? He couldn't possibly suspect that she wasn't who she claimed to be, could he? Well, technically she was still Max Caulfield, she just wasn't President Max Caulfield. The brunette shook the thought off.

Victoria on the other hand seemed to carry her title as the Wicked Witch of the West Wing with the same pride as she had carried the Queen Bee's title at Blackwell. Max was the only person that she seemed to address formally and politely. With others the Chief of Staff didn't waste energy to professional courtesy. She was efficient at her job and she expected the same from her subordinates and co-workers and was frank in pointing out their shortcomings.

"We pump billions of dollars annually into our intelligence agencies!" Victoria snapped. "How is it possible that we can't locate one goddamn warhead?"

Max began to think about her dream. Was the nuclear blast actually a vision of the future, or possible future?

"What kind of destructive force are we talking about?" the brunette asked, interrupting Victoria's rant about the inefficiency of the intelligence agencies.

“The missing warhead has an estimated yield of 20 kilotons,” David Madsen answered. “It could cause significant damage in any major city of the United States.”

"Is Crimson Crescent capable of detonating the bomb?"

"We have to assume so," Warren answered in turn.

"Can they get the warhead on the American soil?" Victoria asked from the Director of FBI.

"DHS has all the major ports and border stations under enhanced surveillance," Stacy Kowalski answered.

"But can they get the warhead on the American soil?" Victoria asked again, slightly more peeved.

"I… I don't believe so," Kowalski said a bit more uncertain.

"God damn it!" the blonde huffed angrily. "Can they or can they not?"

Kowalski's face was beginning to turn beet red. Based on what Max had read at breakfast, Stacy Kowalski had risen to her position from the Director of Behavioral Analysis Unit fairly recently, so she was clearly out of her home turf with this.

"Madam President, I assure that the FBI and the DHS will do everything in their power so that the warhead will not enter the American soil," Kowalski finally managed to say.

The meeting went on a while longer. Everyone's top priority was to locate that missing warhead. After Max had given her 'okay' to the orders Victoria had issued to the others, the meeting was adjourned. Max took the chance to change a few words with Warren.

"How are Brooke and the kids?" the brunette asked.

"Brooke, Ma'am?" Warren asked bemusedly. "You mean Brooke Scott? I haven't been in touch with her since we graduated from Blackwell."

"I'm sorry, what was your wife's name again?"

"Kristine, Ma'am."

"Kristine, as in Prescott?" Max asked, not being able to hide her amazement.

"You were at our wedding, don't you remember?"

**Boooooommm….**

"How are Kristine and the kids?" the brunette asked, trying her best to keep a straight face. _Warren married Nathan Prescott's sister? Well she was a bit of a family black sheep at least in my timeline._

"They're fine. Kristine's busy with her charity projects, Shawn has started high school and little Nate is going to middle school.

"Isn't it funny how time flies," the brunette wondered. "You must come over for dinner sometime. It would be fun to m-, see Kristine and the kids again."

"I'll pass the invitation to my wife, Madam President."

"And when you arrive, be sure to leave the 'Madam President' at the porch." Max poked the National Security Advisor's shoulder with her fist, winking her eye.

"I will, Ma-, Maxine," Warren chuckled.

_Has Hell frozen over or why the other me has gone back to being 'Maxine' again?_

-ooo-

"...we'll be arriving at the Portland Airport at 3 p.m. Pacific Standard Time," Courtney Wagner went through the schedule for the trip to Arcadia Bay on the tenth. "Marine One is waiting for you there to fly you directly to Arcadia Bay Lodge. I've made the usual rooming arrangements."

Max was tempted to ask what the 'usual rooming arrangements' were but let it be.

"The event starts at noon the next day," Courtney continued. "The principal will introduce you. You'll keep the speech after which the ribbon will be cut and you'll be taking a tour in the new dormitory. There's a quick lunch with the Principal and the other dignitaries of the town. After the lunch, Marine One will take you back to the Portland Airport, where Air Force One will be standing by."

"All right," Max commented. "Who is the current Principal by the way?"

Courtney made a few swipes on her iPad. "Michelle Grant."

"Wow! She must be in her seventies by now."

"73 this fall, Ma'am."

"It was nice of them to name the new dormitory after Rachel," the President remarked.

"Is there anything else you need, before I leave, Madam President?" The raven-haired woman stood up and gathered her belongings.

"That'll be all, Courtney. Thanks!"

"Goodbye, then, Ma'am."

"See you in the morning."

Max was now alone in the Oval Office. The day had been quite exhausting altogether but somehow she had managed to make it through without blundering too much. She had not spent a full day in this reality and already she felt like she was a prisoner. The cage may have been gilded but a prisoner nonetheless. Her day was well planned and programmed ahead and the thought that she'd gone out and dropped by a local Starbucks or a Gap on a whim was completely out of the question. _Well, I suppose it could be worse,_ the brunette thought as she went to the bar cabinet and opened it.

The contents of the cabinet weren't quite what she expected. Instead of wines, coolers and tequila, the cabinet was filled with a selection of single malt whiskies and vodka, along with some mixers. Apparently her counterpart in this reality had at some point developed a taste for malt based products.

 _Well, I could really use a drink right now, so I might as well give this stuff a try,_ Max thought and picked a bottle of 10-year old Aberlour. She poured some in a glass and was about take some ice, when she stopped. _If I remember correctly, Scotch whisky should be drunk neat._ She put the ice back into the container and took a sip.

 _Hmm, this doesn't sting at all like the Bourbon I've tasted._ The taste was almost like creamy caramel, before the burning sensation of the alcohol kicked in. The brunette took another sip and walked to the Resolute Desk that stood boldly in front of the window. She rolled back the chair and stared at it as it looked awfully familiar. _Where have I seen this chair before?_

Max sat down. _Wowser! This is cozy!_ She took another sip of her drink and began to study the desk. _I wonder..._ She pulled the first drawer slightly out, then the second one some more and the third one all the way. The brunette sighed in disappointment when no click could be heard.

"I hate to disappoint you, Madam President but the Resolute Desk doesn't really contain any secret compartments," Victoria Chase said as she walked into the room. "Reagan had it actually x-rayed but nothing was found."

"Oh, bummer," the President said, leaning back on her chair and straightening her legs on the table. "So you probably know that the table was a gift to Rutherford B. Hayes from your namesake, Queen Victoria," she continued, intentionally emphasizing the last two words that they implicated the blonde woman standing in front of her rather than the ancient monarch.

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that, Ma'am," Victoria said, not showing any visible reaction to the pun. She made her way to the bar cabinet and helped herself with a glass of Absolut vodka and some ice.

"Victoria, can I ask you something?"

"Ma'am?"

"How come you didn't run for president? I mean, back in school you loved to be the center of attention and you certainly seem to have what it takes to get the job done."

The blonde smiled shortly and took a sip of her drink. "Being the President would require to be nice to people, at least some of them, and I do have a reputation to maintain." She looked out the window. "Seriously though, after the tornado, I realized I was good at administration. I found that I liked it more than being in the limelight. People that I work with know that I wouldn't demand from them any more than I would from myself. I'm bitchy but fair."

"You certainly appear to be taking your job seriously," Max noted. "Well, I suppose I'm going to head back to the residence," she said, emptying her glass. "Good night, Victoria."

"Good night, Madam President," the White House Chief of Staff wished.

-ooo-

Max closed the door behind her and entered the First Family residence. She couldn't be happier to get out these clothes and into something more comfortable. Her feet were killing her, so she took her court shoes off and rubbed her soles. _Authoritative or not, tomorrow I'm wearing flats!_

The brunette walked into the master bedroom. Chloe was sitting in a chair. She was still formally dressed but she had removed her prosthesis leg, which was leaning against the chair, next to a graphite cane. The stump of her left leg was peeking just below the hem of her skirt.

"Oh, hi honey," Max greeted, hoping that the pet name was at least remotely valid. She noticed that the bouquet of flowers was lying unopened on the nightstand. The First Lady scowled at her spouse.

"I thought we already agreed that I'll come to Arcadia Bay with you," Chloe said angrily. "What the fuck do you want from me now?"

**To be continued...**


	5. Tea in the Sahara

**October 8, 2017, 10:47 p.m.**

"Just spill it!" Chloe said sternly. "Where do you need me smiling and waving my hand with you now?"

"W-what do you mean, Chloe?" Max asked completely dumbfounded.

"Oh come on!" the strawberry blonde woman retorted. "You never try to fawn me unless you need me to do something for you, so let's hear it!"

"I-it's nothing like that," the brunette said, still bedazzled about the other woman's reaction. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry that I woke you up last night. That's all"

"Y-you did?" the First Lady asked, letting her expression relent for the briefest of moments, before she frowned again and grabbed her cane to take support as she stood up. "I'm going to take a bath," she just said and limped out of the bedroom.

Max looked at the closing door in amazement. _That went well,_ she thought. _Whatever can it be that the other me has done to antagonize her like that?_ The Wikipedia didn't tell that there might be some trouble in their marriage. Could it simply be that her counterpart's political career had come in between them?

 _Well, as long as I'm here I might as well do something about it,_ the brunette thought as she walked into the dressing room. _Hmm, a bath might not be a bad idea._

Max put the water running and began to undress. _I wonder if I could issue an executive order about casual Friday at the West Wing._ Business suits definitely weren't what she felt comfortable in. She turned the tap off and stepped into the steaming water. She let out a deep sigh as the warm water caressed her aching muscles. She pressed a button on the jacuzzi and moaned in pleasure when the jet streams began to massage her back. _This really is something else than the tub at home,_ she thought and smiled.

As she lied in the water with her eyes closed, she tried to comprehend how her life had changed as a result of the powers that she now possessed. Less than 24 hours ago she had just been a middle-aged hippie photographer, living in a loft apartment in Seattle. Now she was the leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world and married to her childhood friend, who in her reality had died on her arms in a restroom.

 _Jeez, how long am I going to be able to pull this off, before they realize I'm not the Max C-, Maxine Caulfield that they think I am?_ Her rewind ability had saved her from the worst pitfalls so far but sooner or later she would be facing a situation from which the rewind wouldn't bail her out of. She had no choice other than to do her homework, play along and rely on the fact that in the end, she indeed was Max Caulfield and not someone pretending to be her.

As the President of the United States, a completely new world had opened to her. Thanks to her position, she had become aware of things she'd rather been unaware of. Based on the memos she had access to, some of the organizational directors under her direct command seemed to be bigoted zealots who thought they were serving their country by stepping on every possible civil right that was in effect in the United States. _Makes me wonder what they'd do, if they'd find out that I can manipulate time?_ _They'd probably lock me away_ in _some top secret underground government facility, examine me and use me in some shady black ops._ The thought made Max shudder.

The water was beginning to get cold, so Max stepped out of the jacuzzi and wrapped herself in a towel. She dried her hair quickly and dressed up in a silky nightgown. She walked back into the master bedroom and saw that Chloe was already in bed, facing away from the brunette. Max walked towards the bed, when she noticed something. The flower bouquet was no longer unopened. Instead they were carefully placed in a vase on the top of a drawer.

Max smiled at the woman lying quietly in the bed, as she took the final steps and slid under the duvet. She placed her hand on Chloe's hip. "Good night, Chloe," she whispered quietly. She was about to remove her hand, when the other woman suddenly placed her hand on top of hers.

"Good night, Maxine," she said quietly.

"Max, never Maxine," the brunette responded instinctively. The sentence made the hand on top of her stiffen and it was quickly withdrawn. The brunette pulled her own hand away slightly bemused of the reaction but she gave no further thought to it and quickly fell asleep.

-ooo-

The sound of the alarm clock brought Max back from slumber. She opened her eyes and saw that the other side of the bed was empty again. _Maybe I should set my alarm clock to wake me up the same time as Chloe,_ she thought drowsily. Like the morning before, she pulled on a robe and put on slippers and made her way to the dining room, where the breakfast had been set. This time a stack of Belgian waffles with slices of bacon were next to her plate.

 _Niiice! I really could get used to this life,_ Max thought as she sat down at the table. She poured herself some coffee and took some waffles and bacon on her plate. This time she took the Daily Brief and went through it carefully. According to the brief there had been no development regarding the missing nuclear warhead. There'd probably be another meeting about the matter today. Having finished with the brief, she quickly went through the newspapers. She was just finishing her breakfast, when Courtney stepped in.

"Good morning, Madam President," the raven-haired woman greeted her boss.

"Morning, Courtney," the President responded. "What do we have on the agenda today?"

"Alyssa and Juliet would like to go through the speech that you will be giving at Blackwell with you," Courtney said. "That's right after today's intel meeting."

"All right," Max said. She folded the paper and stood up, when she suddenly thought of something. "Courtney, could you arrange some time in the afternoon for a meeting with K-, the Vice President."

"But Madam President, you have a meeting with the Secretary of Agriculture in the afternoon," the raven-haired woman tried to object.

"Reschedule that," the POTUS said. "Arrange tea for two at the residence."

"Bu-, very well, Madam President," Courtney said, tapping her tablet intensively. "I'll contact the Vice President's aide and arrange the meeting."

"Thank you, Courtney," Max said to her aide. "I take that Victoria is waiting for me in the Oval Office?"

"She is, Ma'am."

"All right, I'm going to go change."

-ooo-

Max stepped out of the residence. This time she had chosen a slightly lighter grey suit with pants instead of a skirt and shoes with flattest possible heels, which were still one and a half inches high. _Ugh, I gotta get more comfortable shoes!_

Agent Dana Ward was again waiting for her outside the residence. "Good morning, Madam President," she greeted her Commander-In-Chief.

"Morning, Dana," Max answered cheerfully. "How are you today?"

"I'm good, Ma'am," the agent responded as they began walking. "Doe is on the move," she said into the microphone.

As they were walking, Dana suddenly reached for her jacket pocket. "Would you mind if I show you something, Ma'am?"

"Not at all," the brunette answered. "What is it?"

The taller woman pulled out an old Polaroid picture and handed it over to Max. "You remember this picture?"

Max took the picture and looked at it. It was a shot of Dana and her in their teens, taken at the girls' restroom in Blackwell.

"Oh yeah, I remember this one!" Max said enthusiastically. "It was taken in the restroom just before the shooting..." Her expression went down a notch when she remembered what had happened next.

"What shooting, Ma'am?" Dana asked bemusedly.

"You know, th-," at that point Max realized that the shooting in the restroom had never taken place as she had triggered the fire alarm. She raised her hand quickly and...

**Booooommmmmm...**

"Oh yeah, I remember this one!" Max said enthusiastically. "It was taken just before the fire alarm went off."

"That's right!" Dana said. "I went to the dorms after that and then Juliet came and locked me up in my dorm room, accusing me of sexting to Zach's Pager. Thanks to you, Ma'am, it turned out that Vic-, err Ms. Chase had paid some nerd to hack my email account so that she could send the messages in my name. I still don't know how you managed to solve it."

"Uhm, it actually wasn't that hard," Max said, completely clueless what Dana was talking about.

-ooo-

Max was sitting at her desk in the Oval Office, going through some papers that needed signing. It wasn't even noon and she was already feeling that she wanted to throw all the papers in the air and dash out of the window. _Wonder how far I would get before the Secret Service agents would tackle me down?_

The first hours of the morning had been the repetition of yesterday. Max had gone through the Daily Brief with Victoria and then the Chief of Staff had torn a new one to everyone at the intel meeting. In a way Max was glad she had someone like Victoria running the ship, although it made her feel herself like a marionette.

In her own timeline, her relationship to the pixie blonde had been rough to say the least. After Chloe's shooting they had begun to get along better, mostly because of Kate, who against all odds had made amends with Victoria and soon after that they had started dating. After graduation though, both Kate and Victoria had moved to east coast while Max had moved back to Seattle. While she had kept in touch with Kate through email and phone, she had completely fallen out of touch with Victoria. On the few occasions she had seen Kate face-to-face, the taller blonde had never been with her. When Kate and Victoria had got married, Max had not been able to make it to their wedding, as she had been in Afghanistan taking photographs for the National Geographic. After that she had fallen out of touch with Kate too.

"Madam President, Ms. Anderson and Ms. Watson are here to see you," Edith Thompson's voice said suddenly on the intercom, snapping Max out of her thoughts.

"Please, send them in," the brunette answered to the intercom. She was excited to see them both. It occurred to her that during the course of years, she had secluded herself pretty much from everyone she had known in Blackwell. She had not done it intentionally but she had always been shy and introvert by nature, so she didn't actively seek social contact. Also her former classmates acted as a reminder of what had happened to Chloe, so she'd rather opted to keep to herself. _I dumped them like did Chloe, when I moved to Seattle._

The door opened and Jinx and Beacon stepped in. Dana had been kind enough to let Max in on Alyssa's and Juliet's codenames. Max took a moment to take a better look at her former classmates as she stood up to greet them. Juliet Watson looked pretty much as she had looked in Blackwell, save for slightly curvier body that she had had back then. Alyssa Anderson, on the other hand, was a completely different case. From her days in Blackwell, Max remembered a slightly chubby, purple haired girl who dressed in Gothic clothing. The woman standing next to Juliet couldn't be further apart from that girl. Compared to her teenage self, Alyssa was at least forty pounds lighter and looked nearly anorectic. In place of the messy purple wisps was a fashionably cut platinum blonde hairdo and the Gothic outfit had been replaced by a black business suit. Only the sagacious look on her eyes revealed that it indeed was the same girl that Max had once known.

"Good morning, ladies!" Max whisked towards the two women. She had to restrain herself so that she wouldn't have hugged them like she wanted to. Instead she extended her arm to shake their hands.

"Good morning, Madam President," the White House Press Secretary greeted, shaking the President's hand.

"Ma'am," the White House Director of Communications simply said.

"You wanted to discuss about the speech at the inauguration of the dormitory?" Max asked.

"That, and the press briefing related to the trip to Arcadia Bay," Juliet added.

"I have the first draft of the speech ready," Alyssa said. "I am mostly concentrating on how Arcadia Bay has thrived after the tornado."

"The biofuel refinery established seven years ago was a blessing to the town," Juliet commented. "It gave the town the much needed boost after Joan Prescott ran everything down in the late nineties. The town lingered on the brink of extinction for ten years."

"It certainly would have if you, Ma'am had not lobbied for the startup packages for people to put up their own small businesses," Alyssa added.

The brunette nodded. She had read about the Startfield Initiative from the Wikipedia. The newly elected Congresswoman had lobbied to the current Governor of Oregon that the state would back relatively small conditional loans to individuals wanting to start their own business. The down payment plan started one year after receiving the loan, under the condition that the found company was still active. Even then, the instalment was only 10% of the profit margin, if profit was made. A little over 500 loans had been applied and approved. After one year, 165 companies were still running and making profit. After five years, 57 of those companies had actually grown and been able to hire people. By 2017, most of those businesses that had made it through the first year, had paid their loan in full. It had been those startups funded by the state loans that had pulled Arcadia Bay through the worst.

"I wonder if I should mention the Startfield Initiative in your speech, Ma'am?" Alyssa asked.

"No," Max said quickly. "The speech should be about the people of Arcadia Bay and not us," she continued. "In the end, it was the people of Arcadia Bay that saved the town, we just gave our helping hand."

"Very well, Madam President," the slim blonde agreed.

"I'll mention some of the key points of the speech in the press briefing tomorrow," Juliet said.

"I'll have the final version ready for you this evening, Ma'am," Alyssa added. "We can do last adjustments in the Air Force One."

"Thank you, ladies," the President said to the two women, who excused themselves.

-ooo-

Tea had been set into the living room of the first family residence. The scent of freshly braised Rooibos tea filled the room. In addition to the tea, there was a selection of biscuits served on the finest china. This was certainly something else to the tea sessions Max had had with Kate in their dorm rooms. In a way it was also a bit sad as the preparation had been part of what made their tea sessions so special. _Well, at least we don't have to worry about doing the dishes afterwards,_ the brunette chuckled in her thoughts.

Max sat down on a couch by the table and poured some of the steaming beverage in the two cups on the table. Just then, the door opened and Kate stepped in. The blonde woman appeared a bit edgy.

"Right in time, Kate!" the brunette greeted the other woman. "I took the liberty of pouring you some tea."

"That's... nice of you, Maxine," the Vice President said a slight taut in her voice. "Would you mind if I take something stronger first?"

"Uh, sure. Help yourself," Max said bemusedly as the other woman was already walking towards the bar cabinet.

"Thanks!" Kate said as she poured a lowball glass half full of Scotch and practically emptied it at one swig.

Max could notice that the drink wasn't the first for the day, based on the slight sway, when the blonde walked to the couch and sat down. The hastily applied make-up failed to cover the dark rings around the other woman's eyes. _My goodness, Kate! What has happened to you?_

"It's so nice that you could make it today," the brunette said, trying to lighten up the mood. "I can't even remember, when we sat down like this." She gave the teacup to the blonde.

"I can," Kate said laconically. "It was the week before the tornado." She took one sip of the tea, set it cup on the table and stood up. "Mind if I take a refill?" she asked, holding the empty glass.

"Uh, go ahead," Max answered and watched in amazement how the smaller woman walked to the cabinet and filled her glass with Scotch. "I am a bit worried about your drinking, though. It is quite a drastic change to the girl who rallied for abstinence."

"It is, isn't it," the blonde said sarcastically and took a sip from her glass. "Life can do that to you, you know."

"What has happened to you Kate," Max said, this time out loud. "I thought you were happy with your life."

"Yeah, I should be," Kate scorned. "I have a wonderful, loving husband and two wonderful children. I live in a house I couldn't possibly dream of and am in a position where I can make a difference. I should be happy and grateful of what I have, so why is it that I feel I'm missing something in my life?"

That last sentence pulled Max away to a conversation that had taken place years ago, in another time and place.

" _Vic and I are getting married."_

" _Oh, that's wonderful, Kate! I'm so happy for the both of you."_

" _Yeah, we both are so excited about it."_

" _I want details! Who proposed to whom?"_

" _It was Victoria. We had dinner at our favorite restaurant in Upper East Side. She had slipped the ring into the dessert."_

" _Awww, that's so sweet!"_

" _That brings me to the reason I wanted to meet you. Would you be my Maid of Honor?"_

" _I-, I'd be honored. When's the big day?"_

" _August, the twentieth."_

" _August? Oh, damn! I will be in Afghanistan the whole August. It's something I can't reschedule. I'm so sorry but I can't make it to your wedding or be able to be your Maid of Honor."_

" _Oh..."_

" _I really, really hate to miss your wedding, and I so much would have wanted to be your Maid of Honor. I feel awful."_

" _It's... all right. I understand. I suppose we could postpone..."_

" _Please, don't. Not on my behalf. I wish you both have a wonderful day."_

" _If you say so..."_

That had been the last time Max had talked face to face with Kate in her own timeline. In retrospective, she regretted deeply having had to turn Kate down. In her line of business, though, one needed to keep their commitments, as the next gig could depend on the outcome of the previous one. At later point the reality of that had hit her hard as one not so successful gig had practically pushed her out of the limelight.

In this reality, her counterpart had not obviously fallen out of touch with Kate but instead, her tea partner was miserable with her life and sought refuge through alcohol. _It's incredible, how differently things have turned out as a result of a single change._

"Was there something you actually wanted to discuss about with me or did you just want to bitch about my oh so wonderful life?" The Vice President pulled Max out of her thoughts. "If that's the case, I've got better things to do, Madam President." She set the empty glass on the table and marched out, leaving the flabbergasted brunette to stare after her.

-ooo-

Max stacked the papers away for the day and walked to the bar cabinet of the Oval Office. She poured some Aberlour into a glass and took a sip. She was slowly beginning to get accustomed to the taste, maybe even to some extent savor it. She walked back to her desk and lifted her legs on top of it. While she was swirling the drink in the glass she began to think about what kind of person her counterpart in this reality actually was. Apparently, the real President Maxine Caulfield seemed to be a lot more intimidating personality than she was. Of course the title gave some authority but there seemed to be more to it than just that.

"Ma'am, if there's nothing more, I'll be leaving," Victoria peeked from the door.

"Before you go Victoria, I'd like to ask your opinion on something," the brunette said.

"I'll do my best, Ma'am," the blonde said as she stepped into the office and closed the door behind her.

"What do you think of me as a person?" Max asked. "I want your honest opinion."

"My honest opinion, Madam President?" Victoria asked tentatively.

"Your honest honest opinion. What do you _really_ think of me?"

The Chief of Staff walked to the bar cabinet, poured a shot of vodka and took a swig before she turned to face the President.

"I think you're one of the most cold-blooded, calculating and manipulative bitches I've ever come to know, Ma'am," Victoria said nonchalantly.

Max stared at the blonde with her mouth agape. She had expected that the opinion might not be very flattering but Victoria's straightforward expression managed to take her by surprise. "I am...?"

"Yes, Madam President, you are," the blonde repeated.

"And that doesn't bother you?" the brunette asked, not quite being able to hide her shock.

"Hah, it takes one to know one," Victoria chuckled. "I honestly didn't believe you had what it takes to be in politics when I came to work for you in the beginning. Since then, I've been proven wrong on numerous occasions." She grinned and took another sip of her drink. "Yet, you still have the ability to sincerely empathetic and kind when it's needed. That's what makes you a good President, Ma'am."

Max didn't say anything, she just stared her half-empty glass. She tried to comprehend what it was that had steered her counterpart so far from her ideals. Clearly the Maxine Caulfield that had become the President of the United States had got those ideals, as they had been the one and same person before that event in the restroom.

"Ma'am, are you upset?" Victoria asked. "You wanted me to speak my mind."

"No. No, I'm not upset," Max said assuringly. "Thank you, Victoria. I appreciate your frankness."

"Well, good night then, Madam President," the Chief of Staff wished and left.

-ooo-

Max walked back to the residence, escorted by a Secret Service agent that she didn't know, which was fine as she had time to contemplate everything she had learned about herself today. The more she found out about President Maxine Caulfield the less sympathetic she felt towards her.

 _How it is possible that in this timeline I've become so cynical that the end simply justifies the means, no matter who gets hurt in the process?_ the brunette asked herself. _Kate clearly despises me, when she has time from wallowing in self-pity and Victoria, the queen of all bitches, looks up to me and is actually intimidated by me._

Max didn't know her counterpart's motives but as long as she was in here, she could do something about her attitude towards other people. She would treat people close to her with respect and kindness – and she would start from the person that was closest to her.

The Secret Service agent wished Max good night as she entered the residence. She walked straight to the master bedroom, expecting to find Chloe there. She was going to do what was long overdue, to have a proper talk with her wife.

Chloe was sitting again in the armchair, when Max entered the bedroom. This time she had still her prosthetic leg attached and she was holding something in her hand. She was again staring at her sternly. She opened her hand to reveal the device she was holding. It was black with a red button on it.

"If I press this, this room will be swarming with Secret Service agents within five seconds," Chloe said grimly. "You have exactly thirty seconds to tell me who you are and what you have done to my wife."

**To be continued...**


	6. Walk Through to the Haze

**October 9, 2017, 8:25 p.m.**

"What have you done to the President?" Chloe Elizabeth Price, the First Lady of the United States asked sternly. The look in her eyes was ice cold.

"Chloe, look," Max hurried to explain. "This may sound incredible, but I _am_ Max. I'm just not the Max you married."

The blonde snorted wryly. "Hah! You two have something in common, then, as my wife certainly has not been the Max I married for a long time." Her expression became serious again. "Spill it!"

The brunette looked at other woman, trying to feverishly come up with an explanation that would prevent Chloe from pressing the panic button. _Might as well try the truth._

"I really am Max Caulfield," she began. "I come from a different timeline..."

"Yeah, sure," Chloe said and pressed the button.

**Boooooommmmmm...**

"Spill it!"

"Look, Chloe," Max tried again. "I can explain everything but I need more time than thirty seconds."

"I'm listening."

"Do you believe in parallel timelines?"

The blonde pressed the button.

**Boooooommmmm...**

"Spill it!"

"Think about if you could change one event in your life..."

The blonde pressed the button.

**Booooooommmmmm...**

"Spill it!"

"Che, for fuck's sake, will you put that fucking alarm away for a moment and let me talk?" Max huffed crossly.

"Che..." Chloe's expression mellowed down to slightly bemused. "That pet name is used, or even known by no-one but..."

"Max," the brunette concluded. "Me, Chloe."

"Well, to be honest, Maxine hasn't used it for a while," the strawberry blonde chuckled nervously. "B-but I don't understand. You _are_ Maxine, but..."

"No, Che," the brunette interrupted. "I am _Max_ , not Maxine. I am another Max Caulfield from another timeline in your wife's body. – I know it sounds crazy but would you please let me explain before you hit the alarm?"

The First Lady's expression turned sterner again. "It sounds exactly that, but I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Start explaining."

"It might be better if I demonstrate you," Max said. "I'm going to tell you in detail, what you have in your purse."

"Well, this oughta be good," Chloe snorted. "Let's hear it."

Max looked at the purse dubiously. _Well, this was a wonderful idea! How can I tell what she has in her purse, if I haven't seen them first?_

"Uhm, I'd actually needed to see the contents of your purse first," Max said awkwardly.

"Isn't telling the contents _without_ taking a look the point?" the blonde asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly," the brunette answered. "Please, indulge me."

Chloe eyeballed Max suspiciously for a while, before she sighed and opened her purse. "Very well, but only because I'm curious to see where this is headed." She emptied the contents of her purse on the table.

Max took a moment to study the items, before she raised her hand and rewound.

"It might be better if I demonstrate you," Max said. "I'm going to tell you in detail, what you have in your purse."

"Well, this oughta be good," Chloe snorted. "Let's hear it."

"There's a pack of tampons..." Max began.

"Well you obviously know I'm having that time..."

"...with three tampons inside," Max ended her sentence.

"Ohhh-kay," the blonde said, digging out the pack and verifying the contents. "That could've been a lucky guess, though. What else?"

"You have a medical vaporizer," Max said more confidently, managing to take the other woman by surprise.

"How does it look like?" Chloe asked, trying to maintain her composure.

"It looks like the sleeve tattoo you used to have on your right arm," the brunette answered. That tattoo had etched itself into Max's mind, when she had looked at her friend lying dead on the restroom floor. _She must've had it surgically removed at some point,_ she thought as she looked the other woman's blank arm.

"Uh, that's pretty impressive," Chloe said. "For the record, I have a prescription for that." She dug the vaporizer out of her purse. The ivory white conduit indeed had the same pattern as the tattoo painted on it.

Max couldn't help smiling as Chloe had given the exact same excuse about the vaporizer, when they had gone through her belongings for the first time.

"What else do I have?" the blonde asked.

"You have a mobile phone in your purse," Max began.

"Yeah, me and a billion other women," Chloe sneered. "You need to be more specific."

"It's a Sapphire Blue iPhone 8 Plus. The lock screen has a picture of you and me taken by your real father William, when we were about 13-14. The lock screen also has a missed call from a Megan Weaver, received at 8:04 p.m."

The strawberry blonde shifted ever so slightly and Max could see a hint of blush appear on her cheeks, when she heard the name.

"Um, you are absolutely correct," she said, when she dug out her phone and checked it. She tried to sound amazed but Max could hear a hint of fluster in her voice. "Enough about my personal belongings," the First Lady said, clearing her throat. "Is there some other way you can demonstrate this ability of yours?"

While they had been going through the contents of Chloe's purse, Max had turned on the TV and tuned onto a local news channel. "Yeah, gimme a second..." she said and followed the topic on the news for a moment. She then lifted her hand and...

**Boooooooommmmm...**

"Is there some other way you can demonstrate this ability of yours?"

"In a few seconds the news is going to show a live insert from the Roosevelt Bridge related to their traffic report," Max explained. " A few seconds from that a delivery van is going to tip over and cause a five car pile-up."

They both turned their attention to the newscast. The anchor was reporting about the evening traffic in the D.C. area. A moment later the view was changed to live feed from the Roosevelt Bridge traffic camera. Another few seconds from that, a delivery van appeared to do an abrupt turn and tip over on its side, followed by four cars crashing one by one into the pile. Max cast a glance at Chloe, whose mouth was a gaping hole.

"Holy shit!" the blonde blurted. "You actually can see into the future."

"Not exactly," the brunette explained. "I can go back into a certain point in time with the memory of what will happen in the immediate future."

"Ok, I'm hella impressed," Chloe said in awe. "But it still doesn't explain where you come from and why you're in my wife's body."

"Well, that's a bit longer story," Max said.

"No worries, we-, or at least you seem to have all the time in the world," Chloe pointed out. "I'm all ears."

"All right," the brunette began. "You probably remember that day back in '93, when Nathan Prescott had you pinned against the wall in the girls' restroom at Blackwell?"

"Whoa! There's a name I had happily forgotten," the blonde said. "Oh yeah, I do remember that little event. Prickscott had a gun pointed at me and you saved my butt by setting off the alarm even though I didn't know then it was you."

"Yeah, about that..." Max paused for a moment to try to find the words. "For me, it didn't happen like that."

"What do you mean?" Chloe asked bemusedly.

"From where I come from, in my timeline, I was too afraid to intervene," the brunette said hesitantly. "I... just sat there behind the stalls, when Nathan Prescott shot you."

"Shot me? You mean..."

"You died on that day, Chloe," Max said, her voice trembling.

"I... died?" the blonde asked in disbelief. "But I'm here, very much alive."

"For me, you had been dead for 24 years, until two nights ago I came across with a picture that I had taken in that restroom just prior to your shooting. A picture of a Morpho," the brunette answered. "When I was looking at the picture I was somehow drawn into it, into the situation. Don't ask me how because I have trouble comprehending it myself."

"What happened then?"

"I hid behind the stalls like did originally and watched as you had your parlay with Nathan," Max told. "I shout 'no' instinctively, when he shot you, as I did the last time but this time something weird happened. Everything kind of rewound back to the moment where I had taken the picture."

"So... everything that had just happened undid itself?" Chloe asked in awe.

"Exactly. I didn't get it at first but when Nathan came into the restroom, I realized that the same thing was going to happen again. At that moment, it occurred to me that I had a chance to prevent the shooting from happening. I just needed to find a way to distract Nathan."

"The fire alarm," Chloe said in comprehension.

"The fire alarm," the brunette repeated. "When it went off, it gave you the chance to get the upper hand on Nathan and get out."

"So, what you're saying is that if you hadn't gone into that picture and made that change, I'd been pushing daisies for most of my life?"

"In a word, yes."

"Have you got any idea how incredible that sounds?"

"Trust me, I'm having a hard time believing it myself," the brunette said frustrated. "I'm expecting to wake up any moment."

"Still, having witnessed what you just showed me it makes me inclined to believe you," Chloe said. "Would you be so dear and fetch me a drink? I really could use one right now but I'm feeling a bit tired from walking with this thing." She tapped her prosthetic leg.

"Oh, all right," Max said bemusedly. She had completely forgotten about the other woman's handicap. "What's your poison?"

"Ah, you wouldn't know that, would you," the blonde managed to chuckle. "Jack'n Coke with ice, please."

Max walked to the living room bar cabinet. She found a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured some on the bottom of a high glass. She opened a fresh bottle of Coca Cola and filled the rest of glass with that, followed by a few cubes of ice. _Might as well fix a drink for myself too._ She looked at the selection of single malt Scotches evaluative for a moment, until she settled upon 12 year old Caol Ila and poured some on a lowball. Max took both glasses and returned to the bedroom.

"Here ya go," the brunette passed the drink to the other woman.

"Thanks!" Chloe said and took a sip. "A little short on Jack, but it'll do." She let out a grin. "So, Max Caulfield, tell me something about yourself. Something tells me you're not a President where you come from."

Max took a sip of her own drink and smiled. "No, I'm just a hippie photographer living alone in Seattle. I don't even have a cat."

"Oh yeah, I remember you used to be so excited about William's Polaroid camera," the strawberry blonde reminisced. "You'd jump every chance to take a picture on it."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Max chuckled.

"I also remember you had your own Polaroid camera, when you returned," Chloe said. "I think it still might be stored somewhere at our house in Portland." She took another sip of her drink and sighed. "I can't even remember when we've been to our house the last time. Since you-, I mean Maxine, got elected as Governor, it has practically served as a storage facility to our personal stuff."

"I think I still have that Polaroid at home," Max said. "Haven't used it for ages, though."

"You've gone digital?"

"Well, yes and no," the brunette answered. "I mean, I do have a DSLR for the professional stuff out of practical reasons but for personal projects I use my trusty old Pentax K1000."

"You have your own dark room?"

"If you can call a bathroom a dark room, then yes." The brunette grinned and emptied her glass. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What gave me away?"

"You mean what made me realize you're not my Maxine?" Chloe turned to look at Max with a ponderous expression. "Well, the flowers for one thing," the blonde started. "Also your overall composition is more reserved, maybe even shy, but the final nail in the coffin was the 'Max, never Maxine'. Maxine hasn't used 'Max' since her campaign manager, a.k.a. The Wicked Witch of the West Wing told her to go by her full name, when she was running for Congress."

"I take that you and Victoria aren't on the best of terms?" Max asked, smiling at the nickname.

"Let's just say that our relationship is at its best when it's long-distance," Chloe answered, letting out perhaps her warmest smile to this point.

"Sounds like you're a bit jealous of her over Maxine," the brunette observed.

"Well, Bitch-toria gets to see Maxine more than I do," the blonde said dryly. "I swear, if I didn't know how dedicated she is to looking out for the President's best interest, I'd say she was having an affair with her."

"Well, if it helps to put you at ease, Victoria hasn't made any passes on me," Max said.

"Hah, that's a novel idea!" Chloe laughed. "Hire a look-alike to find out whether your spouse is faithful or not."

"I'm going to get myself another drink, you want a refill?" Max asked as she stood up.

"Yes, please," the First Lady handed her glass to the President. "A little more Jack this time."

Max walked to the living room bar cabinet and made the drinks. She made sure to add a finger width more of Bourbon to Chloe's drink. While she was mixing the drinks she thought about the blonde's words. Was she really suspicious of Maxine being unfaithful to her? Max couldn't think of anyone acting that way towards her during the time she had spent in this reality. _Well, it really is none of my business,_ the brunette thought as she walked back into the bedroom.

"So tell me, Max," Chloe said as she took the offered drink. "What are you going to do?

"To… do?" the brunette asked flustered.

"Yeah, to get back into your own time," the blonde answered.

The question caught Max by surprise. She had been so preoccupied with getting grasp of the situation that she had not actually given any thought to how to get back into her own reality.

"I… really haven't thought about that," Max finally managed to say.

"Well, it's pretty obvious you can't keep this act going on much longer," Chloe pointed out. "Sooner or later someone else is going to catch you on something. I can help you out with routines and such but I know hardly anything about Maxine's work related stuff."

"I can always use my rewind..."

”Even that will get you only so far,” the blonde interrupted her. ”Eventually, you will either have to go back or face the music. I’d suggest you’d be prepared, figure out some kind of exit strategy for yourself.”

"I suppose…" Coming to think of it, Max knew exactly what she needed to do to get back. She'd need to find that Morpho picture, focus back into it and let Nathan kill Chloe. In theory, it sounded pretty straightforward plan. The practice of it was a completely different thing, though as she had no idea where the picture of the Morpho was or how to get her hands on it. And even if she through some miracle might get her hands on it and go back to undo everything, what would happen to this reality and the people in it? Would it simply cease to exist or would continue co-existing beside her own? Whatever happened, she would again be alone, without friends and without Chloe. Even though they had been off to rough start, Max was beginning to enjoy the blonde woman's company.

Chloe might be in her forties but she hadn't lost that sharp wit she had had in her teenage years. There was still hint of that friskiness left in her. At times, Max could actually feel how the years seemed to just vanish away and they were two dorky teenagers again. Only now she came to realize how much she had missed those carefree days. She wasn't ready to lose her over. _At least not yet._

"You're right, I have to think about it," Max finally said. She wondered whether she should bring up the possibility that this timeline might be erased if she travels back, but decided against it. This didn't feel like an appropriate moment to bring it up.

"So, you haven't talked to me since... William's funeral?" Chloe asked. The last few words came out slightly forced.

"Yeah, when you basically told me to fuck off after I had told you we would be moving to Seattle," Max said laconically. Chloe had not taken the announcement well in her condition and Max had left the Price residence in tears.

"Yeah, well. Not exactly one of my brightest moments," the blonde conceded. "I've already said it to Maxine but I'll say it to you too: I'm sorry that I drove you off. I was grief struck and your move was the last thing I needed at that moment but still you didn't deserve all the shit I gave you."

"It's all right, Chloe," the brunette walked to her and put her hand on hers. "I'm sorry I completely fell out of touch with you. I should've realized that you were just letting off steam."

"Hah, you, who didn't dare to come to our place for two weeks after Joyce had told us off after the wine-tasting session," Chloe snorted. "She had to personally come over to your place to tell that she was no longer mad at you."

"Do you... miss them?" Max asked, remembering that both Joyce and William were dead in this reality.

The blonde looked into her glass and sighed. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of them," she said melancholically. "After the storm took mom, I really thought I would lose it. Luckily, I had y-, Maxine there for me - and David."

"David?"

"Yeah," Chloe snorted again. "Can you believe it took mom's death for us to put our differences aside and to bring us closer." She took a sip from her drink. "David may be a grumpy old warhorse but he's got his heart in the right place."

Max smiled as she thought about the old man. The first impression of David Madsen had been intimidating, when she had met him in her own timeline. He had, however been genuinely devastated about the loss of his stepdaughter, which had let his softer side show. In time she'd grown very fond of the veteran.

The brunette straightened herself and reeled. The alcohol was beginning to have its effects on her.

"Whoa there, sailor!" Chloe grabbed her arm. "How many you've had?"

"Huh, I'm not used to the stronger stuff," Max chuckled with a slight slur in her voice. "I'm more of a wine drinker."

"Yeah, Maxine has developed a taste for those fancy single malts," the blonde remarked. "Me, give me a Jack or Four Roses any day."

"Hey, can I take look of that picture on your phone?" Max asked.

"The one on the lock screen?" Chloe asked to confirm. "I have it in the gallery. Let me look it up for you." She swiped her phone a few times. "Come down here."

Max kneeled down next to the blonde, who was holding her phone in front of her. She took the phone and held it so that the other woman could see it too. Max could feel Chloe resting her hand on her shoulder.

"We both look so young in this," the brunette commented.

"Well, we were just kids," Chloe said. "Little did we know what would happen next."

"Yeah…" Max didn't finish the sentence, as she suddenly began to hear noises, like two girls giggling on the background. The next moment she realized that the picture was beginning to vibrate. _Oh no, nononono!_ she thought when she realized what was happening but it was already too late as everything faded in white.

-ooo-

 _Click, whrrrrr!_ The first thing Max registered was a photo coming out of a Polaroid camera, the second thing she registered was the man taking the photo. It was William Price, alive and well.

"What the fuck just happened?" was the third thing Max registered coming from her right side. She turned to face a 14-year old Chloe who looked as flabbergasted as she did.

"Nuh-uh, Chloe, that's a dollar to the swear jar," William said, holding the developing photo in his hand and letting out a grin. "What just happened was that I took an awful nice picture of you and Max. You wanna take a look and give it your seal of approval?"

"Uh, yeah, sure… Dad," the blonde girl stammered.

"Are you girls okay?" William asked a concern in his voice. "You both look a bit pale."

"Uhm, yeah… William," Max hurried to say. _Oh fuck! I travelled again back in time and apparently I took Chloe with me based on the look on her face,_ she thought as she looked around and tried to get her bearings. _We're both in our teenage bodies._ She looked at her arms, which were a lot skinnier and smoother than she had used to.

"Chloe, you wanna help me make the pancake dough?" William asked as he put the camera and the picture on the table.

"Uh, just a second, Dad," Chloe said. "I'll just have a quick word with Max." She grabbed the young brunette by the arm and drew her into the living room.

"What the fuck is this?" Chloe hissed. "How the hell is it possible that we're at my childhood home and Dad is alive?"

"That's two more dollars into the swear jar!" William's voice shouted from the kitchen.

"Are you eavesdropping, Dad?" Chloe asked back, slightly annoyed.

"No, but I couldn't help hearing the 'f' and 'h' words out of whatever you were whispering to Max," William responded.

Chloe grabbed Max's arm again and lead her out into the backyard. "Ok, can you please explain what the fuck is going on?" She held the brunette from the shoulders.

"I... I think I inadvertently focused on the picture on your phone and transferred us both into that moment when the picture was taken," Max explained.

"Oh, geez! We're in our teenage bodies," the blonde said staring at the brunette and herself. "My foot... it's still there!" She stared down at her feet.

"Chloe, Max!" William shouted from the door. "Joyce called. She needs some help with the groceries so I'm gonna go pick her up." He went back in and was about to close the sliding door, before he stopped and cast a grinning glance at the girls. "No Chloe and Max wine-tasting session this time, ok?"

"Uh, sure, Dad" Chloe shouted back. Suddenly, she realized something and turned to face the brunette with a frantic expression on her face. "This is the day, right? This is the day my dad got into that accident and died?"

"It is, Chloe," Max admitted. "That's when the picture was taken."

"So when Dad walks out that door it'll be the last time I see him alive?"

"Yes, unless..." Max thought quickly and raised her right hand. "Take a hold of me just in case." She gave her free hand to the other girl.

 **Boooooommmmm...** the low trailing sound echoed in Max's ears as the world around them wound backwards. Max looked at Chloe who followed the event in awe. _Hmm, it seems that Chloe isn't affected by the rewind when I hold her._ She relaxed her hand and let the time flow normally again.

"Whoa, that was... bizarre," Chloe said when she had managed to restore her composure.

"Ok, I've bought us a few moments," Max said quickly. "We need to figure out a way to prevent William from leaving." She took determined steps towards the house, still holding the blonde girl's arm.

"Uh, okay," Chloe said hesitantly as she stumbled behind the smaller girl. They stepped inside as William was hanging up the phone.

"It was your mother," William said to his daughter. "She needs help with the groceries so I'm gonna go pick her up. No Chloe and Max wine-tasting session while I'm gone," he said with grin. "Now where did I put the car keys..."

"Chloe..." Max whispered as William walked around the house, trying to locate the keys. The blonde just stood quietly still and watched her father.

"A-ha! You can't hide from me forever!" the man exclaimed triumphantly as he found the keys. He walked determinedly towards the front door and opened it to step into the bright haze. Max was about to raise her hand to rewind again...

"Dad?" Chloe said suddenly.

"Yes, Chloe?" William stopped and turned to face his daughter, who took a few half-running steps towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "Whoa! Why the hug all of a sudden?" he asked bemusedly and wrapped his own arms around her.

"I... just wanted to tell that I love you Dad," Chloe said, turning her face away so that her father couldn't see the trickle of tears running down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Munchkin," William responded and held his daughter who tightened her embrace. "Ok, I really have to get going now," he finally said, lowering his arms.

"O-ok, Dad," Chloe loosened her grip and managed a smile.

"Alright then," William said and stepped out of the door. "Bye, girls."

"Bye, Dad," Chloe said with a trembling voice.

"Goodbye, William," Max said as the man vanished into the haze. She turned to look at the blonde girl who stared at the door, tears now flowing constantly.

"I-it's okay, Max," she finally managed to say between sobs. "J-just hold me, please?"

Max walked to the blonde and embraced her tightly. She could feel how the taller girl collapsed on her arms and began to cry uncontrollably. Max kept holding her as the bright haze surrounded them.

**To be continued...**


	7. Homecoming

**October 10, 2017, 5:43 a.m.**

Max woke up cuddled in the tight embrace of the blonde woman who was quietly purring in her slumber. As she lay there quietly, trying not to wake Chloe, she went through in her mind what happened after they had returned from the past. They had found themselves back in the White House master bedroom, from where they had left. The taller woman had kept on crying inconsolably and Max had done her best to soothe her while trying to keep her own emotions at bay.

Eventually, Chloe had calmed down enough so that Max had been able to say what she had been going through in her mind over and over again.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through all that.”

“P-please, you don’t have to be.”

“Why didn’t you try to stop William?”

“God knows I wanted to, at least for a passing moment.” The blonde had closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “But then I began to think. I had lost him once. For a long time it hurt like hell but eventually I came to terms with it. So what I had saved him? I’d probably have lost him with Mom in that storm.  I don’t know if I could’ve handled losing them both at the same time, especially with no David to share the pain with me.”

“You’d still had m-, Maxine…”

Chloe had let out a snort. “Sorry. Maxine… she was dealing with her own issues at the moment. I mean she did her best to console me in spite of it and I was glad she was there for me. – I don’t know, she just seemed to put all of it behind her so quickly and concentrate on restoring Arcadia Bay. David… well, he was there for me when Maxine couldn’t.”

”I understand...”

”Anyway, as much as it hurt to see Dad leaving again, I am grateful for the chance to say goodbye, and that I love him. Thank you, Max.” The blonde had hugged the brunette.

They had gone to bed and Chloe had asked Max to hold her. During the night they had apparently switched over as she found herself now tightly held by the blonde. Being this close and intimate with Chloe made her heart flutter. It was a feeling unlike anything she had ever felt before. In her life, Max had gone through numerous relationships of varying lengths but all of them had been more of less physical. None of them had had such an effect on her. _Is this how you feel when you’re falling for someone?_ Max let a smile creep on her face at the thought.

 _I wonder..._ she let her thoughts wander off to more intimate things, when a sudden realization struck her. _She’s married... to me! Gotta stop fantasizing!_ Max shook her head to get rid of her thoughts. A quiet whine from behind her told that her sudden movement had brought Chloe out of her slumber.

”Mwhah... Max?” the blonde murmured, half-sleep, lifting her arm slightly.

”Yes, Chloe, I’m still here,” the brunette whispered as a confirmation that it actually was ’Max’ and not ’Maxine’.

”Mmmmkahh...” Chloe mumbled and let her arm rest sluggishly on Max again, as a sign that she found the answer pleasing.

Max cast a glance to the alarm clock, as a warm sensation was beginning to build up in her lower regions. _It’s going to be a long thirty-five minutes,_ she sighed, frustrated as she saw the time.

-ooo-

Three women sat inside the passenger section of an armored stretch limousine, affectionately called ’The Beast’, as the presidential motorcade raced through the streets of Washington D.C. towards the Andrews Field, which was the home of the 89th Airlift Wing, and the Air Force One. Max and Chloe sat on the comfortable back seats, while Victoria was sitting on an opposite seat with a stack of files on her lap. The Air Force One would take Max and Chloe to Nehalem Bay State Airport, from where another motorcade would take them to Arcadia Bay. Victoria wasn’t going to join them though. She had decided to use the trip to the airfield effectively by going through the Daily Brief and other documents with the President, much to the First Lady’s annoyance.

”...with the Vice President’s support, we should be able to get the necessary votes for the gun bill before next State of the Union,” the Chief of Staff explained. ”We can really start pushing it forward.”

”Hah! Like it is going to make any difference to the violence crime statistics,” Chloe said sarcastically. ”That bill is a torso of what Maxine originally envisioned. If it would’ve at least had the mandatory psychological evaluation before you can get a license, then it might have had some effect, but as such it changes nothing.”

The pixie blonde didn’t take the remark well, judging from the pout that appeared on her face. ”You and I both know that the bill would’ve never passed if that clause had been in it,” Victoria retorted. ”This is a good compromise…”

”Good compromise my ass,” the First Lady cut in. ”You’re just too chickenshit to step on NRA’s toes. – And that’s Mrs. Price, when you address me.”

”Madam President...” Victoria looked at Max for support. She looked like she was about to blow a fuse.

Max didn’t say anything at first. She had not taken part to this debate, as she had not taken the time to study the contents of the proposal but it was clear that she would have to take a stand on this. ”I don’t know, Chloe has a point there,” she finally said, causing the Chief of Staff to drop her jaw.

”But we’ve already gone it through and came to a conclusion that this is the way we’ll be pushing it forward,” the blonde tried to argue.

”We’ll go it through once more, when I return,” Max said.

”But...”

”We’ll go it through again. That’s the end of discussion,” the President said more sternly.

”Very well, Madam President,” Victoria said, her expression showing clearly that she wasn’t happy with the outcome.

Chloe smiled triumphantly at the blonde but Max cast a grim glance at her. ”Wipe that smirk off your face,” she said still with a stern voice. ”I didn’t do it just to please you. Besides, I’m gonna need you two getting along and working together, not against each other.”

Chloe looked at Max in disbelief for the briefest of moments, before she started pouting at the brunette. Max didn’t let that dishearten her. Instead, she grinned at both women. ”See, you two do have something in common after all.”

Chloe and Victoria looked first at Max and then each other. The strawberry blonde was the first to break her crust by letting out a snicker with the pixie blonde to follow by facing down with a mild smile. The brunette let out a discreet sigh of relief. She was pleased to dissolve the situation without having to resort to her powers.

”Madam President, we’re arriving at the Air Force one,” Dana Ward’s voice on the limousine intercom broke the silence.

Max turned to look out the window. She had seen pictures of it and flown numerous times aboard the civilian version but still she couldn’t help but watch in awe the sheer size of the Boeing VC-25, the military variant of the Boeing 747, going by the call sign of Air Force One. _I’m for cereal going to fly on the Air Force One._

The limousine stopped by the stairs leading inside the plane. They waited for the Secret Service agents to take their positions before Dana Ward opened the door. ”They’re ready for you, Madam President.”

”Hold the fort for me, Victoria,” Max said to the Chief of Staff, as she moved to step out of the vehicle.

”I will, Ma’am,” the blonde answered, still smiling.

”And don’t try to stage any coups, while we’re gone,” Chloe said with a grin, wiping the smile instantly off the blonde’s face.

”Chloe...” the brunette sighed as she stepped out of the car and turned to give a hand to the blonde.

”Oh, come on! Vicky can take a...” the First Lady stopped mid-sentence, when she saw the object that was waiting by the stairs. It was a litter that was used to carry disabled people in and out of airplanes. ”No way! I’m perfectly capable of climbing the stairs myself, especially, when she’s watching!” She didn’t have to turn around to see that the pixie blonde was smiling gloatedly.

”Ma’am, we will have to follow the aviation regulations,” agent Ward said apologetically. ”A person with disability must be helped onboard.”

”Chloe, let’s not make an issue out of this...” Max tried to calm the piqued woman and put her hand on her shoulder but she brushed the hand away angrily and limped towards the stairs with determination.

”It won’t be an issue, if I climb these stairs...” Chloe put her good leg on the first step and lifted the prosthetic leg on the next one and pushed. While she might have succeeded on shallower stairs, the ones leading to the airliner were so steep that she couldn’t get a proper support on the prosthetic and lost her balance. Luckily, two Secret Service agents were on top of things and caught her before she fell on her back.

Victoria didn’t say anything but she kept on smiling as she stepped out of the limo and walked to one of the black SUVs that were part of the motorcade. She sat on the back seat and the SUV drove off. The limousine was driven inside a freight plane that was standing by next to Air Force One with its engines running. As soon as the limousine was inside and the cargo door closed, the freight plane began taxiing towards the end of the runway.

Max did her best to keep a normal face. For a passing moment she thought about rewinding but she figured that the end result would be the same regardless. On the other hand, she thought that Chloe needed to be reminded that obstinacy and rashness didn’t always carry the distance. Even though she was older and wiser, the brash traits from her early teenage years apparently still surfaced, given an opportunity.

”Not a word!” the blonde hissed through her teeth as she sat on the chair and was buckled on it. The two Secret Service agents who had caught her, now steadily lifted the chair and began climbing the stairs. Max followed a few steps behind, trying to relax her facial muscles. After having reached the top of the stairs, the agents set the chair down and helped the First Lady up. She wasted no time waiting for the brunette as she limped inside the aircraft, grumbling something to the cabin crew on her way. Max let her go. She knew Chloe well enough to see that she needed some time to mope in privacy.

”Good morning, Madam President,” the officer in charge of the cabin crew welcomed her as she embarked the plane. Max had travelled numerous times onboard the Boeing 747 and even in the first class on a few occasions but nothing could prepare her for the sight that met her when she cast a glance inside. Instead of endless rows of seats, separated by two narrow aisles, the cabin of the Air Force One looked like a hotel lobby with sofas, armchairs and tables.

The front section of the plane was reserved for the President, with the office and personal quarters residing there. Towards the back there was a conference room and a section for the office staff. Max didn’t have a direct vision all the way back but based on what she had googled, the aft section of the plane was equipped more like a regular airliner with about ten rows of first-class level seats for the guests, the security personnel and the press. Even though the access to Air Force one was heavily restricted, the President never travelled alone. Quite a few people were sitting in the seats or walking across the premises. The crew was in uniforms like any other airline cabin crew but these people donned the U.S. Air Force service uniforms. _All this, for me?_

Max looked around in confusion. She had no idea where her seat was.  She tried to look for Chloe to ask about it but the blonde was nowhere to be found. _Well, since this is_ my _plane..._ The brunette shrugged her shoulders and sat on the nearest vacant seat. A couple of members of the crew looked at her slightly confused but they didn’t say anything.

The cabin door was closed and the people still standing took their places, save for the crew members, who did their designated duties related to take-off. The giant aircraft began taxiing towards the end of the runway.

”Good morning, Madam President and Mrs. Price, ladies and gentlemen,” a female voice on the PA system said. ”I am Lieutenant Colonel Marissa Shepard, the captain of this flight. My co-pilot Major Stuart Phillips and I welcome you onboard the Air Force One. Our flight time to Nehalem Bay is approximately 5 hours 25 minutes. The cabin crew will now go through the safety procedures. We wish you a pleasant flight.”

A few minutes later, the VC-25 had reached the end of the runway and without delay it began accelerating on the long stretch of tarmac. A few moments later the aircraft was airborne. Max watched how the ground drew away as the plane took altitude. As soon as the Air Force One was in level flight, Max saw how two F-15 fighter jets came by their side.

When the ’Fasten Seat Belt’ sign was switched off, Max stood up and walked towards the President’s quarters. She found Chloe sitting on a chair there.

”Where’d ya go?” the blonde asked bemusedly.

”Where did I go?” the brunette huffed back. ”You left me standing there all by myself! I had no idea what to do so I had no other choice than to take the nearest vacant seat.”

Chloe’s eyes grew wider in realization. ”Oh my god! I’m sorry Max! I completely forgot in my… moment that you’re not familiar with the plane,” she said apologetically. ”It’s just that Victoria seems to have this ability to get under my skin. I don’t always make the soundest decisions when she’s around.”

”I certainly saw some signs of the Chloe I used to know,” Max said, not completely being able to hold her stern look.

”Yeah, I suppose some old habits never die,” the blonde said, sighing, before she grinned. ”But hey, it’s your plane…”

”That’s what I thought,” Max responded. ”So, what is there to do in your own private jet, then?”

”Well, we could always catch a B-grade horror movie like in the old days,” Chloe said. ”I don’t know how they’ve pulled it off but you can get Netflix in here.”

”Sounds like a plan,” the brunette said, smiling.

”Madam President, they’re ready for you in the conference room,” Courtney Wagner said at the doorway.

Max was facing away from the raven-haired woman, so only Chloe could witness how the smile was instantly wiped off the brunette’s face and then restored to an attempt of a polite expression, before she turned around. ”Thank you, Courtney. I’ll be there in a few.”

”Very well, Ma’am,” Courtney said and walked towards the conference room.

”Looks like we have to postpone our movie session,” Max said apologetically.

”The story of my life,” the blonde chuckled. ”Be tough.”

-ooo-

Max was sitting in her personal office at the President’s quarters with Alyssa Anderson. They were doing the final adjustments to her speech at the Blackwell academy. It had been a process of Max reading and commenting on a section of the speech and Alyssa making the necessary changes. Eventually, they had managed to process the document to a point that they both felt satisfied with the content.

”That should do it, don’t you think?” Max asked the woman next to her.

”Yes, Madam President,” the Director of Communications answered. ”I’ll write it clean and deliver the final version to you.” She stood up and walked towards the door, when Max stopped her.

”Alyssa, may I ask you something?”

”Yes, Ma’am?” the blonde turned around.

”What got you to go through such drastic change in your appearance? It’s just that I remember you so differently back when we went to Blackwell.”

The skinny blonde stared at the brunette like she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. One of her eyes began twitching and she was squeezing her tablet so that Max could hear the glass shattering.

”What got me to go through a gastric bypass so that I can eat only fist sized portions?” Alyssa asked in a manic tone.

”What got me to have a nose surgery so that I wouldn’t have a nasal?” she continued, adding more shrill in her voice.

”What got me to spend a good portion of my days at the gym or jogging so that I would get rid of my excess body fat?”

”What got me addicted to Adderall to be able to push 16-hour days and Lorazepam to be able to sleep?”

”What got me to go through hours and hours of therapy so that I could hold on to the remains of my sanity?

”It was _you_!” Alyssa Anderson screamed to the brunette in front of her. ”You said that if I want to be part of the team, I should do something about my appearance! ’A Director of Communications should be representative, Alyssa.’” she mimicked Max’s voice. ”You turned me into this… thing! I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror!” She threw the tablet in her hand furiously at Max who was barely able to dodge it, causing it to smash into the wall.

Max stared at the flipped woman with an aghast expression. Alyssa reached for the chair with the intention to throw that at the brunette but she was interrupted by two Secret Service agents who thwarted the raging woman quickly.

 _Oh my god, what has she done to you?_ Max thought in horror as she realized that she, or her counterpart in this timeline was responsible for the state of the woman who was now struggling in the tight grip of the two agents. She raised her hand and...

**Booooommmm…….**

”Yes, Madam President,” the Director of Communications answered. ”I’ll write it clean and deliver the final version to you.” She stood up and walked towards the door.

”Thank you Alyssa,” Max simply said, trying her best to smile. As soon as the Director of Communications had exited the room, the brunette collapsed on the floor and began crying uncontrollably.

-ooo-

The wheels of the Air Force One touched the runway of the Nehalem Bay State Airport. Max watched how the plane taxied slowly towards the stairs and the awaiting motorcade. The cargo plane carrying the Beast had landed fifteen minutes ago and the custom made Limousine was waiting by the stairs.

Max was still upset about Alyssa’s meltdown. No one else, not even Alyssa was aware of it of course, but it didn’t make Max feel any better about it. She had thought about talking to Chloe about what had happened but they had begun to make the landing preparations.

”Madam President, shall we go through the schedule for the rest of the day?” Courtney Wagner asked, when they were closing the apron.

”Yes, Courtney,” the brunette answered and unbuckled her seat. She followed the woman to a nearby table with two seats and sat on the other side of the table.

”The Motorcade will go directly to Arcadia Bay Lodge, which is completely reserved for us,” Courtney continued. ”There will be a conference room with a secure line waiting once we get there. Ms. Chase, the Vice President, Dr. Graham and General Madsen are standing by for you. They’ll fill you in on the latest developments on the missing warhead,” the raven-haired woman explained. ”When you’re done, the Honeymoon Suite will be ready for you. Mrs. Price will be staying in a smaller suite at the other end of the corridor.”

Max raised her eyebrows momentarily, bemused about the arrangements for the accommodation, but she reasoned that it was the usual arrangement due to the relationship between the President and the First Lady. She didn’t want to raise any suspicions by beginning to make changes, so she let it be. Max snapped out of her thoughts, when she noticed that Courtney was staring at her intensely. _What, did I make some mistake?_ _Is she seeing through my act?_

”Was there something else, Courtney?” the brunette asked.

”Uh, no, Madam President,” the other woman flinched in return. ”Thank you, Ma’am.”

Max stood up and returned to Chloe just in time to see from the window that the plane came to a halt and a set of stairs was scrolled on the side. Max helped Chloe up and walked her to the door.

”So, what do I do now?” Max whispered to the blonde by her side.

”Just smile and wave,” Chloe whispered back and grinned.

”You gonna be a good girl and let the nice Secret Service agents carry you down?” Max smirked back.

”Yes, Mother,” the blonde grumbled and switched to pouting.

The door was pulled open. Dana Ward, who had been standing by at the door, stepped outside first and made a visual observation around the surroundings while communicating with the agents on the ground to make sure that the perimeter was secured. Once she was content that it was safe for the President and the First Lady to step out, she stepped aside from the doorway and gave a discreet sign to her boss.

Max and Chloe stepped out on the top platform of the stairs. They stopped at the middle of the platform. The brunette cast a glance down at the tarmac. Behind the temporary fence and half a dozen Secret Service agents was a relatively small crowd of people, split into two groups. The larger group, about a hundred people were waving American flags and cheering and applauding to the presidential couple. The smaller one, maybe little over twenty was equipped with signs and banderols. The biggest one read ’REPENT’ in capital letters. Smaller ones had Bible verses and other texts spinning around the theme of lesbianism being a sin. Also the members of the smaller group were vocal but they weren’t cheering. Max wasn’t quite sure but she thought she made the word ’harlot’ out the calls. Apparently the protesters were members of fundamental religious groups.

”Oh look, the local bigots have an assembly,” the blonde snorted dryly. ”Ok, smile and wave.” She lifted her arm and flashed out her best smile.  

”Well, they’re just exercising their constitutional right to express their opinion, as misguided as it may be,” Max commented back, starting waving herself.

Chloe looked at the carrying chair with disgust before she sat down and let the Secret Service agents carry her down. Max followed a few steps behind. She saw the welcoming committee waiting by the Beast. When they reached the bottom, the agents set the chair to the ground and Max gave her arm to the blonde. They walked together towards the awaiting limousine, waving their hands to their supporters. An agent opened the limousine door and the couple took their seats. As soon as the door was closed behind them, the motorcade set in motion.

The drive to Arcadia Bay went relatively quickly and mostly in silence, save for a few comments on the scenery. The road section was closed so the motorcade was able to go a lot faster than the speed limit would’ve allowed. Roughly 20 minutes after the motorcade had left the airport, it reached the outskirts of Arcadia Bay. The forest on both sides of the road became less dense, slowly morphing into buildings, until they were on the main street of Arcadia Bay.

Max watched in awe how different the Arcadia Bay in this reality looked to the one in hers. Gone were the shabby looking boarded buildings and in their place were modern houses and buildings. The one thing that stood as the testament of the old times was the Blackwell Academy that stood firmly atop of the hill.

”The Blackwell Academy looks like it always has,” Max noted.

”It suffered only moderate damage,” Chloe explained. ”The tornado was concentrated mostly to the downtown and the marina.”

”Chloe, how did Joyce…?”

Chloe watched out of the bulletproof window for a while, before she answered. ”Mom… went out to the back to get Edith, the homeless lady, your secretary, safe from the storm. She was hit by a flying piece of debris. They say she didn’t suffer.”

”I’m so sorry, Chloe,” the brunette said taking the blonde’s hand into her own.

”Is Mom alive in your reality?” Chloe turned to face her.

”She is. She and David sold the house, and they’re living in a condo by the sea, enjoying their retirement.”

”Do you see them often?”

”Not as often as I wanted to. Maybe once or twice a year,” the brunette said. ”I’ve tried to make a habit of spending every other Thanksgiving and Christmas with them.”

”Sounds nice,” the blonde commented.

”It is. David in my reality is a lot mellower than he is here, but then again, he retired from the military over twenty years ago.”

”Hah, it is hard for me to imagine the old warhorse to do anything else than soldiering,” Chloe chuckled. ”Did he become a rent-a-cop or something?”

”Would you believe a florist?”

”Get the fuck outta here!” the blonde blurted. ”You’re shitting me, right?”

”No, seriously!” Max chuckled at the reaction. ”David went to community college to study whatever you need to become a florist. Once he graduated, he rented a small space downtown and put up his shop.”

”Well, I’ll be! The old warhorse a florist!” Chloe wondered. ”Now I’ve seen everything!”

The limousine came to a halt by a two story building made out of logs. The Arcadia Bay Lodge had originally been owned by the Prescott family but, accordning to Chloe, it had been sold to the Best Western chain, when Joan Prescott had liquidated the family assets. It had been mostly unharmed by the tornado due to its remote location in relation to the town.

Max and Chloe stepped out of the limousine and smelled the fresh air. ”We should move the capital here, don’t you think?”

”Oh, I’m down for that,” Chloe concurred.

The doors to the main entrance opened and a man in his late forties walked to them. ”Madam President and Mrs. Price! Welcome to Arcadia Bay Lodge!” he greeted the couple. ”My name is Roger Mancuso and I am the Manager. It is such a great honor to have you here. I hope you have a pleasant stay.”

”Oh I’m sure we will,” Max said. ”I believe there should be a conference room ready for me.”

”Yes, Ma’am, if you’ll follow me…” He motioned the couple to the entrance.

They stepped inside to the lobby. The interior had not changed much from the last time she had been here. Everything was nice and neat though. The hotel manager walked to one door at the other side of the lobby and opened it. ”I hope this room will fulfil your needs.”

Max looked in. There was a laptop ready at the end of a long table. A pot of coffee and a selection of soft drinks and sandwiches had also been set next to the laptop.

”It’ll do nicely,” Max said to the manager.

”If there’s anything you’ll need, don’t hesitate to ask,” the manager responded.

”Well, I’m gonna leave you to it and take a steamy hot bath,” Chloe said. ”Tell everyone I said hi.”

”I’ll show you to your room Mrs. Price,” the hotel manager said and closed the door behind him, leaving Max alone in the conference room.

The brunette sighed and sat on the comfortable office chair that was at the end of the table. _I wouldn’t have minded a bath myself. Well maybe after the call,_ she thought as she entered her key to the card reader to log in.

-ooo-

Max was escorted to her suite by the Secret Service agent that had been standing in guard outside the conference room. She felt exhausted. There had been no new development in the case of the missing warhead, so Max had spent most of the meeting watching how Victoria had given a piece of her mind to the other members of the meeting for their inefficiency. Luckily she had nothing else on her schedule for the rest of the day. The first thing she would do when she would get into her room, was to take her clothes off and take a long hot bath.

Max had missed Chloe while she had been in the conference. _Maybe I’ll ask Dana to sneak me into Chloe’s room later,_ she thought with a smile on her face.

They arrived at Max’s suite. The Secret Service agent standing at post outside the suite opened the door and let the President in. As soon as the door was closed behind her, she took her shoes off and tiptoed further inside the suite and to the bedroom.

Nothing could have prepared Max to the sight that was waiting for her when she stepped in. Courtney Wagner was lying on the king size bed, wearing a lace body with garters and stockings. She cast a lustful glance at the brunette.

”I’m ready for your executive orders, Maxine.”

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to Executive Rewind! Max is again finding out new things about her counterpart in this timeline. We get the reason behind Alyssa's changed appearance and Maxine's own little dark bedroom secret. I actually originally wanted Courtney's code name to be 'Cleopatra', after the Queen of Egypt and Julius Caesar's lover but I thought that might be too obvious.
> 
> This has been one of the hardest chapters to write. I ended up writing the Nehalem Airport scene twice over before I was happy with it. Luckily I can reuse part of the text I ended up scrapping in this chapter.
> 
> Thanks again for all the reviews! Please keep them coming! See you in the next chapter!


	8. Proportional Response

**October 10, 2017, 6:27 p.m.**

"Are you just gonna stand there with your mouth open or are you gonna come to bed and let me help you to get out of those clothes?" Courtney Wagner asked Max who stood flabbergasted at the bedroom door.

"I... What are you doing, Courtney?" the brunette was finally able to ask, when she had recovered from the initial shock.

"What does it look like I'm doing, Maxine?" the woman in the lace body said. "I'm ready to give my boss lady a good time."

If Max's mouth had been gaping open before, it opened a bit more when the realization hit her. Chloe's initial hostility towards her, the weird sleeping arrangements at the hotel and Courtney's intense stare, it all made perfect sense. _Maxine is having an affair with Courtney!_

The word 'body woman' got a completely new meaning in the brunette's mind as she watched the raven-haired woman lying on the bed. The sheer lace body the woman was wearing let a little room to imagination. A few women in their early twenties had the body Courtney was sporting. It was in every sense feminine with soft curves and hardly showing any muscle. There wasn't even a hint of excess fat in that body, just enough to emphasize the few moderate curves on the lean body. The breasts that were visible through the lucid material seemed surgically augmented but not overtly so; just enough to make them resist the signs that aging inflicted upon them. The equally lucid lower part of the body revealed that Courtney's mound was shaved clean. The garters that were sown onto the garment held the silk stockings firmly at mid-thigh. Every single detail in that sight screamed 'come get some' in Max's mind and she could feel the heat starting to build up in her nether regions.

"What's keeping you, Maxine?" Courtney's question stopped the brunette's imagination from running wild. "I want some of that absolute power."

"I... Courtney..." Max stammered. "I can't," she finally managed to say.

"You... can't?" the other woman asked bemusedly. "What do you mean you can't?" she continued with a sterner tone.

"This... this is wrong," the brunette answered bashfully. "I mean Chloe is at the other end of the corridor."

"So? You haven't let that hold you back before!" Courtney huffed. "You've been acting all weird and ignoring me the whole week! Now that we finally get a moment together you're beginning to feel guilt about cheating on your wife all of a sudden?" She rose on her knees and put her hands sternly on her hips. "Maxine Caulfield, you climb on this bed and take me this instant!"

Max lifted her arm to rewind but she stopped and set it back on her side, furrowing her brows. "No, Courtney," she said firmly. "I want you to get dressed."

"What?" the raven-haired woman said incredulously. "Are you fucking kidding me, Maxine?"

"That's 'Madam President' to you, Courtney," Max lowered her voice.

"You bitch!" Courtney shrieked as she grabbed her robe furiously. "You can't do this to me!"

"I'm going for a walk," the brunette stated, not intimidated by the other woman's reaction. "When I return, I don't want you to be here." She walked to the suite door, before she turned around. "I expect your letter of resignation first thing in the morning." Max stepped out of the suite and closed the door behind her.

"You'll regret this!" Max could hear through the closed door, accompanied by the sound of a mirror shattering as something was thrown into it.

"Everything all right, Madam President?" Dana Ward asked with concern as she walked towards the suite. Her shift standing the post at the suite entrance was about to start.

"Yes, Dana," the brunette answered. "Could you take me to Chloe, please?"

"Certainly, Ma'am," the agent answered. "If you'll follow me..."

"And would someone assist Ms. Wagner into her own room?"

"With pleasure, Ma'am," Dana said, not quite being able to withhold a smirk.

As Max followed the agent, she tried to restore her composure after the shocking revelation about her counterpart's personal life. _Maxine's having an affair with Courtney! How long has this been going on? What am I going to tell Chloe?_

"Is everything all right, Ma'am? You look a little pale," Dana asked as they approached a door at the end of the corridor.

"I'll be fine, Dana," Max answered. _Hopefully._

"Here we are, Madam President. This is the First Lady's suite," the agent pointed at the door.

"Thank you, Dana," the brunette answered.

"I'll be right outside if you need anything."

"Just make sure we won't be disturbed."

"Will do, Ma'am."

Max stood at the door. She hesitated to lift her arm and knock. _Well here goes,_ she finally thought and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Chloe's voice asked.

"It's me, Max...ine," the brunette said, adding the last syllable quickly when she remembered that Dana was standing close. She heard steps and taps taking turns as they came towards the door and the chain removing, before door was cracked slightly open and the steps and taps receded again. Max pushed the door open and stepped in, pushing the door close behind her.

"Step into my room, Max...ine," Chloe said grinning as she sat down on the couch. She was wearing only a bathrobe and had removed her prosthetic leg. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Chloe... I..." Max stammered, trying to find the right words. Eventually she took a deep breath. "Maxine is having an affair, with Courtney."

The blonde's eyes widened for a brief moment before they narrowed in synch with her lips. Max expected Chloe to snap but to her surprise she closed her eyes into a plaintive pout. "I see..." she finally said quietly.

"You... knew?" the brunette asked, slightly amazed about the reaction.

"I knew that Maxine was having an affair," Chloe said laconically. "I just didn't know for sure who it was, even though I had my suspicions about Courtney." She let out a sigh. "I... I just hoped that she would've been professional enough not to get romantically involved with her boss but on the other hand she has always been an opportunist."

"How long have you suspected Maxine being unfaithful to you?" Max asked.

"For certain, since Maxine was elected as the Governor but I already had my suspicions, when she was in Congress. I stayed back in Portland most of the time." Max could see tears flowing on the blonde's cheeks.

"Why haven't you left her?"

"I've made a promise to Maxine that I'd always be with her no matter what," Chloe answered. "I intend to hold up my end."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," Max said. She felt guilty on her counterpart's behalf.

"You don't need to be, Max," Chloe said, wiping her eyes. "Besides, I haven't been faithful to Maxine either."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember Megan Weaver, whose name you saw on my phone?" Chloe looked askingly at the brunette. "She is a lobbyist for the Association of Physically Challenged People. We met a little over a year ago in a seminar. She offered consolation when I needed it. She made me feel wanted again. We see each other every time she is in Washington and we call and text almost daily." She began sobbing. "I... didn't plan on this, it just happened!"

Max looked at the other woman. She could feel the guilt Chloe was expressing through her confession. Even though she had been betrayed by Maxine, she didn't intentionally want to get even by starting her own affair. _Maxine, you bitch! You have a perfect companion by your side and you treat her like dirt,_ Max thought, clenching her teeth. She sat down next to the blonde and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Chloe," the brunette said, placing her hand on the blonde's cheek and turning her head so that she faced her. "I don't blame you the slightest bit and I truly am sorry as it is because of my actions that Maxine has become the woman she is today." She felt the corners of her eyes getting wet. "I don't know what could have possibly happened to her to become like this, but I do know that I would choose you over all the leaderships of the world any day."

"Oh, Max," the blonde let out a smile. "You remind... No, you _are_ the Max I fell in love with twenty-four years ago."

Max looked into those deep blue eyes and she knew. She knew what she deep in her soul had known almost ever since she had met Chloe the first time back when they were children. She leaned in closer and pressed her lips against the blonde's. She had not kissed Chloe before but from the first contact she felt like she was home, like she had kissed those lips a million times and still not got tired of them. She also felt that Chloe was slightly taken aback from the gesture, so she broke the kiss and looked bashfully at the blonde who stared at her bemusedly, cheeks burning red.

"I'm sorry..." was all Max had time to say before the blonde pulled her back and kissed her in turn. This time the kiss was more passionate, almost devouring as Chloe pushed her tongue between Max's lips and let it explore around the brunette's mouth. Max returned the favor and soon the two tongues were intertwined as the two pairs of lips fumbled each other lustfully. Max felt the heat building up again and this time she welcomed the feeling with open arms. Time just seemed to lose its meaning as the kiss continued. Eventually, Chloe separated from her slowly, leaving her gasping for air.

"Come," Chloe simply said as she stood up. She took her cane into one hand and the brunette's hand into other. The cane didn't steal anything away from her grace as she led Max into the bedroom. Midway, Chloe let go of Max's hand and gestured her to stand still.

Max watched how the blonde woman took the final steps to the bed, turned around and tossed the cane away. She stood in front of the bed with only one leg effortlessly, without a slightest hint of swaying. Chloe kept her eyes pinned to the brunette as she took a firm grip of the sash of her bathrobe and with one tug she opened the knot. She grabbed the lapels of the robe and let it fall on the floor, revealing her completely naked body. Max couldn't help letting out a gasp, when she saw the blonde in all her beauty. There was absolutely nothing in the blonde's body that was telling that she was in her forties. It was lean and slightly muscular but in every sense feminine; the curvaceous hips and the firm, apple-sized breasts took care of that. You could just about make the contours of a six-pack out of the flat abdomen, which continued smoothly down to the pubic mound that was crowned by a neatly trimmed bush of blue hair.

Chloe caught where the brunette's eyes were affixed to and grinned. "You can take a girl out of the mosh pit but you can't take the mosh pit out of the girl." The remark made Max blush when she realized she had been caught staring.

The blonde lay on her back onto the bed and placed herself comfortably. Max couldn't help paying attention to the stump that was below Chloe's left knee, making her self-conscious about it and trying to cover it with the duvet.

"Please, you don't have to do that," Max stopped her. "I think every part of you is beautiful." The compliment made Chloe blush in turn but she left her injured leg exposed with the rest of her body.

The brunette unbuttoned her jacket and dropped it on the floor. She released the clasp of her skirt and unzip it, letting the gravity take care of the rest. She slipped her thumbs under the waistband of her pantyhose and with one swift bowing gesture the pantyhose joined the jacket and skirt on the floor. Max took one step forward, away from the pile of clothes.

Still wearing her shirt and underwear, she climbed on the bed and next to the naked blonde. Chloe rose to a sitting position and one by one she unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it off, revealing the graphite grey bra and matching panties. She unclasped and removed the bra, making the brunette blush slightly. Max had always been a bit self-conscious about her modest-sized breasts, so she instinctively pulled her arm to cover her bust. Chloe stopped her though and pushed the arm aside and leaned over to place a kiss on the burgundy nipple, resulting with a luscious moan from the brunette's lips.

Chloe proceeded to lay Max on her back and slowly eased the panties off, revealing a short-trimmed bush. Max could feel a cool breeze on her already moist slit as the blonde pulled the panties through her ankles. Chloe moved herself slowly forward, on top of the brunette, placing her left thigh between Max's legs so that her mound was brushing against the smooth skin of the thigh. Max lifted her right thigh instinctively so that she could feel the blonde's warm crevice against it. Chloe bit her lower lip, accompanied by a soft moan, in response.

The blonde placed her lips on the brunette's and the two tongues began their dance again. While kissing, Chloe kept her lower body in small, circular motion and fondled Max's mound with her thigh, making Max let out muffled moans into the blonde's mouth. Max moved her leg back and forth in return, getting a similar reaction out of the other woman.

The sensation in Max's crotch was intensifying. Her moans turned into pleading whines. Chloe took the hint and parted her lips from the brunette's gently and cast a mischievous grin at her. With almost agonizing slowness, she began to kiss her way down, taking her time at both of the rock hard nipples, nibbling them gently. After what felt like an eternity, Max felt the moist lips on her mound and a tongue slithering its way to her tender spot. Max arched her back and grasped the bedsheets at the jolt of sensation that flashed through her body.

"C-chloe, p-please..." the brunette whimpered. The blonde responded by moving downwards and Max could feel the tongue moving up and down between her folds. She bit her lower lip in pleasure. The tongue was withdrawn and she could feel two fingers entering her. Max let out a gasp as the fingers began a stroking motion, accompanied by the blonde's thumb that fondled her clit. Max's brain was no longer capable of producing any comprehensible thoughts as Chloe's fingers worked their magic in a rhythmic motion inside her.

The blonde kept her rhythm as she leaned forward again and pressed her lips tightly against Max's left nipple and began sucking and nibbling it. "Ah, Jesus, God, Chloe!" Max groaned as the pressure was building up inside her. She felt how the fingers inside her picked up the pace as she closed the brink. In the end, she could just pant rapidly in rhythm of the fingers, before her brain went to overdrive and her body spasmed as the waves of orgasms ran through her body. Chloe kept on going, keeping the brunette riding on the wave, until her body no longer could take it and she fell limp on the bed, panting heavily.

"Wowser…" was the first thing the brunette could say when she had finally caught her breath.

"Hah, it's been a while since I've heard that word," Chloe said with a grin on her face. "You like?"

"Me like," the brunette answered, also grinning and rose to kiss the blonde. As her tongue played inside Chloe's mouth, she turned her lying on the bed on her back. As exhausted as she was, she had every intention of returning the favor. The voluptuous experience that she had been subjected into, made Max doubtful whether she would be able to offer Chloe anything even close to what she had got. The blonde had seemed to know almost exactly what made her tick but that was no surprise as Chloe had been in relationship with her counterpart for over twenty years.

The blonde seemed to sense Max's hesitation and cupped her hand on the brunette's cheek. "Relax, babe. I have no doubt in my mind that it wouldn't be anything less than awesomesauce," she said reassuringly. She then eased herself down, setting her arms over her head, making her chest muscles move up an inch, resulting with a smorgasbord of perky and luscious looking breasts. "I dare... no, I double dare you," she said, flashing her eyelids.

The brunette needed no more reassurance. She leaned over to place a gentle kiss on the other woman's lips, before she moved downwards and placed her head on Chloe's belly. She stared at the blonde impishly through the cleavage. She rest her palms on the side of each breast and began slowly creeping her fingers towards the two buds that standing in position, screaming red. Max slid her fingers slowly across the areolas, leaving the nipples in between her index and middle fingers. She moved her index fingers on top of the erect buds and twirled them around, getting a sensuous moan out of the blonde.

Max leaned forward on top of Chloe's left breast and took the nipple between her lips. She twirled her tongue around the cap a few times and began sucking on it, resulting with more moans. Max could feel her own juices still flowing as she played on the bosom. She switched over to the other breast but this time she took the hard nipple between her teeth and tugged it gently, making the blonde gasp from the sudden sensation. Max lifted her eyes apprehensively but Chloe smiled back reassuringly. Max placed a kiss on the tender cap, while she fondled the other with her finger.

The brunette began working her way down across the other woman's abdomen, kissing the smooth skin along the way. Just before she reached the blue-haired mound, she moved to the right and continued down along Chloe's left thigh, lifting the leg with her hand until she reached the end of the stump.

"Max...?" The blonde looked at her curiously.

"Shh," Max said calmingly and placed a kiss on the scarred end of the stump. She then put the amputated end of the leg against her cheek and caressed it with her hand. "As I said, every part of you is beautiful."

Chloe bit her bottom lip and tears began flowing down her cheek. "Damn you, Max. You don't make a woman cry while having sex," she said, accompanied with a smile to soften her words. "I love you Max."

The brunette's eyes grew wide open at the unexpected confession. Hear heart began to flutter and she could feel herself blushing. This wasn't the first time Max had heard those words being said to her. This was the first time though, when she could respond to it so that she actually meant it with every inch of her body and soul. "I love you too, Chloe."

Max let go of Chloe's leg and leaned over to give her another kiss. While in every way as passionate as the previous kisses, this one felt special, like a seal to their mutual expression of their feelings towards each other. Their lips parted and Max stared into those deep blue eyes with a smile equal to the one that was just a few inches away from her.

"Now, get dat ass down there! Momma needs relief," Chloe demanded with a smirk.

The brunette was more than happy to oblige.

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to Executive Rewind! As you could see this was 'a tranquile chapter with little, if any plot development'. Seriously, though. The scene in this chapter requires me to up the rating to 'M'. I probably could've gone with a more PG13 version but somehow I felt that after the revelation of last chapter's cliffhanger, I really needed to balance it properly.
> 
> I was both pleased and surprised about the reactions to Courtney being Maxine's lover. Pleased because no one had called it before and surprised as no one had called it before. I had decided on Courtney having this role pretty much from the get go. The decision was based on the text message that Courtney had send to Maxine in the game's alternative reality, telling that Maxine could easily overthrow Victoria as the Queen Bee of Blackwell. Even though Courtney doesn't get much screen time in the game, that single text message tells quite a lot about her, or at least Courtney in that reality and that was the Courtney I based the one in my story on.
> 
> Thank you again so much for the reviews! I can see that President Maxine is raising emotions. She has maybe turned out to be more ruthless than I originally intented to. Do keep the reviews coming! I love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. In the next one we'll return to our regular schedule.


	9. Ten-Eleven

**October 11, 2017, 7:12 a.m.**

The first rays of the morning light found Max lying naked in the bed, intertwined with an equally naked Chloe, sharing a joint that the blonde had dug out from the depths of her handbag. It had been a while since the last time Max had smoked pot but apparently she had not lost her touch.

"You know, it's hella awesome to be able to share this joint with you," Chloe said as she took another drag. "Maxine went all squeaky clean, when she went into politics. You can't believe the condemning stares I got from her when she noticed I'd been baking."

"Yeah, this is nice," the brunette giggled as she took the offered joint and took another drag. She smiled, when she thought about last night. They had not been getting much sleep. After having finished one intimate moment, they had cuddled for a while until one or both of them had felt playful again. Eventually they'd thought that they should get some sleep, so they had gone to take a shower – and made love in the shower. The rest of the night they had spent cuddling and talking – and toking. Max couldn't remember when she had felt so happy, or so high for that matter. "I should totally legalize cannabis at federal level," she said, letting a trail of smoke out of her mouth.

"Hah! Good luck with getting that passed on the Hill," Chloe snorted as she took the joint back. "But you'll have my support, of course." She turned to place a kiss on the brunette's lips.

"I knew I could count on you," Max said and caressed the blonde's cheek with her thumb. "Can I ask you a personal question?" she asked suddenly.

"You can ask, can't guarantee I'll answer though," the blonde answered.

"Your leg..." the brunette said hesitantly. "How..."

"Did I become a peg-legged pirate?" Chloe completed, letting out a grin. "Ah, I suppose the origin of my handicap isn't on the Wikipedia."

"There was a mention that you were in an accident but no details," Max explained.

"It happened the day after you saved my ass in the restroom," Chloe began. "You remember American Rust, the old junkyard, right? We ended up spending the day there. The railroad to the lumber mill went just by it. We decided to take a walk on the tracks and stopped at a railroad switch to bitch about life. Maxine was a few steps away taking photos, when I noticed that my boot was stuck between the rails and it wouldn't come off. Maxine tried to help me when we heard a train coming."

"A train?" The brunette's eyes grew open.

"Yup, one of those big-ass freight trains that hauled lumber to the mill," the blonde continued. "My foot was stuck for good. You tried to move the switch but it was electronically locked and the lever wouldn't budge."

"What did you do?"

"You-, I mean Maxine told me that there was nothing we could do about the leg in such a short time but there was a chance that I might make it out alive. She told me to lie flat between the rails and laid herself down next to me, taking my hand and telling me that whatever happened she would be with me all the way."

"What happened next?"

Chloe looked at the stump leg. "The train ran over us. The shock when the wheels of the locomotive maimed my foot was so sudden that I didn't even feel it at first. Only when the train had passed and I saw my foot, or what was left of it anyway, the pain registered. After that I have no clear memories of the event. Maxine told me that I had gone into complete shock. She had applied a makeshift tourniquet on my leg and somehow managed to drag me to a nearby service road where the paramedics had arrived. The next thing I remember is that I woke up in the hospital with my foot and a half of my shin gone."

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," the brunette said, looking at the stump.

"Hey, not much you could've done about it," the blonde consoled. "Y-, Maxine stayed at my side and for that I am forever grateful to her. When I woke up in the hospital and she was by my bed, I made a promise I'd always be with her."

"She sounds so different from the Maxine I've come to know during the last few days," Max noted.

"She was different. She was... well, you," Chloe said, letting out a smile. "But something happened to her, when that creep Jefferson held her captive in that bomb shelter under the Prescott barn. She wasn't found until three days after the storm. That bastard got off too easy, when the storm killed him." Max could feel the other woman's body stiffening. "I didn't see it at first but in retrospect, that was the point from which she gradually started to turn into the person she is today."

"What did he do to her?"

"I don't know. She always kept it to herself," the blonde said, sighing. "What I do know is that the story she gave to the magazine is a hella sugarcoated version of what in reality happened."

The brunette stared at the ceiling, trying to process what Chloe had just told her. In her own reality, Mark Jefferson had already been apprehended before he could get his hands on her. She'd talked with Kate. The girl had been one of the victims, but she'd had no recollection of what had happened to her because she'd been drugged. The published information about the kidnappings had been vague and general and as she had no memories of Maxine in this reality, she couldn't relate much to what Maxine might have been subjected into. _Still, whatever happened in there, doesn't justify any of the awful things you've done, Maxine!_

"So, you fired Courtney for real?" Chloe asked, shaking Max out of her thoughts.

"Uh huh," the brunette answered. "You think I shouldn't have?"

"I don't know," the blonde said thoughtfully. "Just wondering if we'll have another Monica-gate in our hands."

"You mean Monica Lewinsky?" Max asked, referring the White House intern who'd caused a scandal by having an affair with Bill Clinton during his administration.

"Yup. Courtney's just the type that might go straight to the press, if she's provoked," Chloe remarked.

"What was I supposed to do? Fuck her?" the brunette asked, slightly agitated.

"Well, from what I've heard, she is a hella bang," Chloe said with a grin.

"Not funny!" Max blurted. "One half of me is feeling guilt over Maxine being unfaithful to you and the other half is feeling guilt over being the accomplice in you being unfaithful to Maxine."

"Oh, Max," the blonde cupped the brunette's cheek. "You have absolutely no reason to feel guilty about anything. It's not you who cheated on me with Courtney and god knows who else, and technically I'm not cheating on Maxine with you, since you are her, at least externally."

"Yeah, well internally I'm anything but her," Max sighed. "What I've learned about my counterpart during the last few days, makes me feel appalled and disgusted about her, and myself, since until that day in the restroom, we were the same person. Just the thought that I could become such a conniving and ruthless bitch horrifies me." Tears began falling down her cheeks.

"But you haven't become that person," Chloe took the brunette into her embrace. "As I said earlier, you are the Max I fell in love with: kind, empathetic, heartfelt, selfless and upright."

The appraisal made the brunette blush. "Maxine doesn't realize what she has," she said and kissed the blonde. "She has hurt so many people on her way to power." She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. "Take Alyssa for example. The poor woman has basically sold her soul in order to get Maxine's acceptance. In a way she's like Nathan Prescott, completely broken on the inside and psychotically violent if you accidentally push her buttons. And poor Kate; she's unhappy and Maxine still treats her like dirt. Even Victoria seems to be intimidated by her."

"I know," Chloe remarked. "I may be the only person with whom she just doesn't get her way. She knows I won't take her bullshit, and I think at least on some level she respects me."

"I don't know if I can keep this act up much longer," Max said, turning to face the other woman. "I... fear that I might still become like Maxine if I continue. I just don't think this job is worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I should resign from the position of the President at the earliest convenience and let Kate take over."

"Are you sure?" The blonde asked, slightly amazed. "I mean, you're in a position to make a hella difference. Not many people get that kind of chance in life."

"Have I really?" Max asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Take the gun bill for example. You said yourself it was a torso of what Maxine had originally envisioned."

"Touché," Chloe admitted. "But that's politics for you; you win some and you lose some. But changes don't happen unless someone takes the initiative."

 _She does have a point there,_ the brunette thought. _Besides, my decisions affect her life too. Who am I to turn her life upside down? And, as President, I do have the power to_ _make right by Alyssa, Kate and the other people Maxine has hurt._

"Very well," she finally said. "If you really think I could make a difference, I'm willing to give it a go, but you have to promise me that you'll keep me grounded."

"I will," the blonde assured. "And if you for any reason feel that you want to step down, I'll support you. You're all that I need."

"Thank you Chloe, you're all that I need too." Max placed a kiss on Chloe's lips.

"But at least legalize cannabis before you resign," Chloe said with an impish grin and took another drag of the joint.

"You're such a dork," the brunette chuckled.

"It's the company I keep," the blonde shot back and kissed the smaller woman. "Hey, I was thinking. Could we take a quick detour via the cemetery? I'd like to pay my respects to Mom and Dad, and Rachel."

"I don't see why not," Max answered. "I'll arrange it with Dana."

"You think we still have time before we have to get ready?" Chloe asked, lifting her eyebrows.

"Pfft, they can wait," the brunette snorted. "What fun is it to be the leader of the free world, if you can't at least be fashionably late," she said, grinning, and climbed on top of the blonde.

-ooo-

Arranging the extra stop had not been as easy as Max had thought. First, Dana had told her it would be out of the question as there was no time to secure the cemetery. After a lot of persuasion, she had grudgingly agreed to a rather unorthodox plan and even for that, she had required a written executive order. A civilian vehicle and some casual clothes would be arranged for the couple. They would then drive to the cemetery, pay their respects and be picked up by the motorcade at an exact, predetermined moment. The couple would change clothes within the Beast, on their way to Blackwell. Dana had insisted that she would tag along to the cemetery, to which Max had agreed.

Max and Chloe were now standing at the back entrance of the hotel. They had chosen their outfits from the selection of clothes acquired from the local stores, which seemed to be targeted at younger customers. The brunette was wearing plain jeans, a pink t-shirt and a grey hoodie jacket, complemented by a pair of sneakers. Chloe, on the other hand had gone with ripped jeans, a white, loose tank top and a leather jacket. A pair of Doc Martens and a dark blue beanie completed the outfit. Dana had just swapped her suit jacket for a pilot jacket and put a cap on her head.

"Look at us!" Chloe chuckled. "Like two teenaged brats!"

"I actually feel more cozy in these clothes than in those designer suits," Max remarked.

"Yeah, I kinda like 'em too," the blonde admitted.

"Madam President, Mrs. Price," Dana Ward interrupted them. "Our transportation awaits."

The three women stepped outside. Everyone stopped on their steps when they saw the vehicle. It was a creamy white, mid 80's, Ford F-Series truck; although calling it creamy white would have been an exaggeration. It was covered in rust spots, stains and tags. The color of the driver's door disagreed with the rest of the body by being light brown with stripes. The body overall was swarming with dents and the chrome of the bumpers had lost its shine ages ago. The faded blue upholstery was ripped and dirty and someone had apparently used the truck as a personal dump judging from the amount of garbage.

"Reminds me of the shitty Ranchero I used to drive as a kid," Chloe noted. "I have fond memories of that truck."

"Joyce gave the Ranchero to me," Max whispered into Chloe's ear. "I restored it to mint condition and I still drive it."

"Really?" Chloe whispered back. "Would be awesome to see it."

"Yeah..." A sudden wave of melancholy ran over Max. The last few days had been so hectic that she hadn't had time to think about her own life in her own timeline. Her life wasn't perfect but it was simple and at least she hadn't screwed everyone over.

"You ok?" the blonde asked when she saw the brunette's expression.

"Yeah, just a little homesick, that's all."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Maybe later," Max said, taking Chloe's hand into her own. "We should probably get going."

Dana held the driver's door open and the two women stepped inside on the one-piece seat. The agent sat behind the wheel and turned the ignition. The V8 engine sputtered to life. Dana put the gear on drive and they drove off.

"May I suggest that you keep the hood over your head, Ma'am?" she asked the brunette, when they got onto the main street.

"If you drop the 'Ma'am' for at least for the visit to the cemetery and call me Max," the brunette said, deliberately using her nickname. Her birth name had begun to have too much of a negative association to it. _I should change it to Max for good,_ she thought as she pulled the hood up.

"Sure... Max," Dana said and pulled her pilot Ray-bans down a bit so that her eyes were visible, when she smiled.

They pulled out onto the cemetery parking lot and stepped out of the truck. The three women walked under the rusty forged iron gate. The cemetery was quiet at this hour as they were the only living souls present.

"Ok, we have exactly twenty minutes before the motorcade arrives," Agent Ward said. "I'm going to give you two some privacy and check the perimeter."

"Thanks for doing this, Dana," the brunette said to the woman wearing a pilot jacket.

"You're welcome, Ma...x," Dana said. "Twenty minutes," she reminded as she parted from them.

The two women walked down the aisle until they arrived at a simple gravestone. Max looked at the two names engraved on the granite.

WILLIAM ROBERT PRICE

Loving father and husband

1950 – 1988

JOYCE MARGARET PRICE-MADSEN

NÉE SHAFFER

Dear mother and wife

1952 – 1993

"I can't believe that Joyce is gone," the brunette said morosely. "It was just a week ago when we last talked on Skype. She was practically a second mother to me." She could feel the blonde's hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad that you two had each other when I was gone," Chloe said. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Max."

"You lost her too once, Chloe," Max answered. "I'm so sorry."

"Apparently this town wasn't big enough for more than one Price," Chloe said laconically. "But without further ado..." She cleared her throat. "Mom, Dad, I've met someone and I wanted to introduce her to you," she began. "I know, she looks just like Maxine and I guess physically she is Maxine but in her soul, she is someone else. Meet Max."

"Err, hi Joyce and Bill. Um, long time to see," Max stammered when she realized she was supposed to say something.

"By some incredible chance I've gotten back the Max I once fell in love with," the blonde continued. "I can't even remember when I last felt this happy." She turned to face the brunette.

"I am happy too." Max said and was rewarded with a kiss from the beanie wearing woman. "Um, what about your folks?" she asked, blushing.

"I'm sure they won't mind," Chloe smiled and continued kissing.

"I love you, Chloe."

"I love you, Max."

They gazed at each other for a moment, before Max broke the silence. "We probably should visit Rachel's grave before motorcade arrives."

"I guess we should," the blonde concurred. "Bye, Mom and Dad." She took the brunette's hand into her own and they began walking further into the cemetery grounds. Eventually they arrived to another gravestone.

RACHEL DAWN AMBER

Beloved daughter

1974 – 1993

"After Dad died and Ma-, you moved to Seattle, Rachel was there for me," Chloe said. "She was my angel."

"I'm glad you had her, when I couldn't be with you," the brunette said. "I would've loved to meet her."

"Oh, you two would've hit it off right away," the blonde remarked. "She got along with everyone. I don't know if that was her downfall in the end."

"What do you mean?"

Chloe sighed. "I was in love with her but I doubt she felt the same way about me. We did fool around but in the end it was just physical. Apparently she had several relationships on the side, including Mark Jefferson."

"I was devastated to find out the truth about Mark Jefferson," Max noted. "Until then, I had really looked up to him."

"Did he...?" Chloe asked, unable to form the rest of the sentence.

"No. He was arrested the same day Nathan shot you." The brunette took the other woman's hand into hers. "But I paid a high price for it."

"Well, at least I didn't die for nothing," the blonde said, gently squeezing Max's hand.

"You want to say something to Rachel before we leave?" Max asked.

Chloe looked at the gravestone for a while, before she closed her eyes and shook her head. "I... don't know. I thought I wanted to but now I'm not so sure."

"Why is that?"

"Truth be told, this is the first time I've visited her grave since her funeral," the blonde explained. "All these years, when I've visited the cemetery, I've stopped by my parents' grave but not at Rachel's. When I found out about her affairs I was so deeply hurt."

Max felt her hand being squeezed slightly harder, and watched as a single tear ran down Chloe's cheek. She put her free hand on top of the intertwined hands, making the other woman sniffle.

"Now that I'm standing here, all those feelings are coming to the surface," Chloe whispered in a barely audible voice. "Anything courteous would be just empty words without meaning."

"Maybe you should tell her just how you feel," Max offered.

"Yeah, maybe…" the blonde sighed. "Rach… I'm sorry that I haven't visited before. I was… I still am so hurt about what you did. When I found out about your relationships with Frank and Jefferson, I felt like I had not known you at all. I felt… betrayed. On the other hand, it explained why you never reciprocated the feelings I had towards you."

"Still, you didn't deserve to die at the hands of those bastards. They both got off too easy. Not a day goes by that I won't miss you but I need to be able to forgive you before I can grieve over you." Chloe paused for a moment to look at the brunette next to her. "Now, with Max on my side, maybe I'm ready to take that path."

The autumn wind swished the leaves of the surrounding trees as the two women stood quietly by the grave. Finally, Chloe turned to face Max and smiled to her. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," the brunette took the blonde's hands into hers.

"Looks like our time's up," the blonde said and pointed over to Dana who was pacing towards them.

"So it seems." Max let go of the other hand and turned to face the Secret Service agent.

"Madam President, the motorcade is here in two," Dana said, assuming the formal way of addressing. "We should go."

"Lead the way," the President answered.

-ooo-

_I hereby resign from my duties as the presidential aide, effective immediately._

_Courtney Wagner_

"I suppose that's that, then," Max said, handing the letter of resignation to Chloe as they drove towards the Blackwell Academy.

The letter had been waiting inside the limousine, when the motorcade had arrived to pick them up. As soon as they were inside the vehicle, it had moved on. Both Max and Chloe had used the short journey from the cemetery to Blackwell by changing back into their regular clothing.

"Let's hope so," the blonde looked at the letter. "Didn't she say that you'll regret this?"

"She did but I suppose she's had time to cool off," the brunette remarked.

"I wouldn't count on it but I guess we have no choice than to wait and see how things will play."

"Yeah, I guess so," Max admitted. "But in the meantime, we have a dormitory to inaugurate."

The motorcade stopped by the stairs leading to the Blackwell Academy main building. Max looked out the side window to see both Secret Service agents and soldiers securing the stairs and controlling the crowd. There were three people waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Michelle Grant, who would be celebrating her twenty-fifth anniversary as the Principal of Blackwell academy next year, was one of them. The second one Max remembered vaguely to be Trent Wilkinson, the Mayor of Arcadia Bay, at least in her own reality. The third one, however didn't ring any bells in her head. Normally, Courtney would have briefed her in but due to circumstances, that wasn't possible.

They stepped out of the limo and walked to the welcoming committee. The Mayor took a few steps towards them and offered his hand. "Madam President, welcome home!" he greeted.

"Thank you, Mayor! It's good to be back." Max shook hands with him. "And congratulations on the re-election!" she said, remembering the mayoral election having taken place a couple of months ago in her own timeline.

"Thank you, Ma'am! Apparently I must've done something right, since the people wanted me back," he said.

"He's being too modest, Madam President," Michelle Grant said. "But let me look at you, Maxine Caulfield. I never could've imagined that the shy girl in my science class would become the leader of the free world." The Principal may have been in her seventies but the thoughtful and observant look in her eyes had not gone anywhere.

"It's good to see you, Mrs. Grant," the brunette shook the old woman's hand.

"And Chloe Price," the Principal turned her attention to the tall blonde. "When you were expelled from Blackwell, I thought that a lot of potential was going to waste. I'm glad to see I was proven wrong."

Max could see the blonde's cheeks turn a few shades redder than they had been. But the First Lady wasn't the only one whose face changed color.

"Michelle, remember who you're talking to," Mayor Wilkinson hissed through his clenched teeth.

"Uhm, it's all right, Mayor," Chloe said, when she had managed to restore her composure. "It's no secret that I was expelled from Blackwell, and quite deservedly so. I was a very troubled teenager. Luckily, Maxine returned to my life." She turned to smile at the brunette.

"Well, it warms my heart to see you both here," Michelle Grant said and stepped aside to give way to the third member of the delegation.

"Madam President and Mrs. Price, my name is Grant Arroyo. I am the CEO of BioRef. It is a pleasure to meet you, Madam President and Mrs. Price," the Hispanic man in his forties said.

"So you are the saving grace of Arcadia Bay." Max shook hands with the man.

"Oh I just happened to come across with a town full of industrious and hard-working people," Grant Arroyo said modestly. "You did the groundwork, Madam President. I just sat down at a table that was already set."

They all began climbing up the stairs. The main building looked the same as it always had. The statue of Jeremiah Blackwell stood boldly in the middle of the fountain, looking over the hillside that led down to the coast.

"I'm really looking forward to get to see the new dormitory," Max said as they walked past the fountain and towards the passageway leading to the dormitories.

"It will be our pleasure to be showing it to you, Madam President," Michelle Grant said.

They stepped out of the passageway and to the dormitory grounds. Gone was the old, brick-walled Prescott dormitory building and on its place stood a three-story, contemporary apartment complex that had taken some design ques from the main building. Max had read that the Prescott Dormitory, originally built in 1978, had reached the end of its life-cycle. Renovating and expanding the building to meet modern standards and accommodation needs would have cost nearly as much as building a new one. That, in addition to the burden that the Prescott name carried, had spoken in favor for demolishing the old building and building a new, modern dormitory that would meet the standards. It had been already begun use at the beginning of the ongoing semester but the inauguration wasn't until now.

"It is the state of the art in regards of both structural design and HVAC," Principal Grant explained. "It can take on a class 5 tornado and withstand an earthquake measuring 6 on the Richter scale. The building is low energy and fulfills the norms of accessibility. Each residence is actually a separate apartment with its own cooking facility and bathroom. All the apartments also have a high-speed Internet connection. Each student gets a smart key that grants access into the building and into their own apartment. This type of housing has enabled us to lift the curfew that was in effect during the old dormitory with the students free to come and go as they please."

"That'll probably be a welcomed change," the First Lady commented.

"The housing arrangement enables also the whole building to be co-ed, instead of having separate wings for boys and girls," the Principal added. "It can also accommodate almost double the amount of people that the old dormitory did. We should be able to keep the waiting lists for accommodations a lot shorter now."

"What about the housing costs?" Max asked.

"Thanks to the financial support from BioRef and long term loans, the rent of an apartment is only marginally higher than the rent of a room in the old dormitory," Michelle Grant answered. "The empty apartments can also be rented out temporarily during the summer break, as they are furnished."

They stepped inside the building. Instead of a cramped stairway, there was a spacious and light lobby going all the way up to the roof, where glass panels gave a clear view to the sky. The lobby was furnished with sofas and tables. Potted plants and an artificial stream provided a serene ambience. LCD panels were hanging from the walls, displaying information about lectures and events. The most significant detail in the space was the large painting hanging from the wall opposite to the main doors.

Even though Max had never met Rachel Amber, she could tell it was her in the painting based on the pictures she had seen of her. The painting was a full-length portrait of the blonde girl, posing diagonally in a plaid flannel shirt and jeans, typical to the early 90's. The brunette could also recognize the artist.

"Is that a genuine Mai Queti?" Max asked.

"Yes, Madam President," the Principal answered. "She actually travelled here to do the painting on site. Are you familiar with her work?"

"Oh yes, I'm a great fan of her work," the brunette confirmed. "I have a couple of her paintings and a selection of her prints back home in Se-, Portland," she said, quickly correcting the location. "Is she here by any chance?"

"Unfortunately no, Ma'am," Michelle Grant answered. "We sent her an invitation but she sent her regrets for not being able to participate due to being engaged in another project."

"Oh, that's a shame," Max said. "The First Lady and I would've loved to meet her. Please convey our regards that the painting looks wonderful."

"I'll be sure to do that, Madam President," the Principal assured. "Now, if we take the elevator, we can go and take a look at one of the apartments..."

-ooo-

"I've never held a public speech in my whole life," Max whispered to Chloe as she fiddled with the cue cards in her hands. The speech would be running on a teleprompter with the cue cards acting as a backup. She looked at the audience gathered at the dormitory grounds, consisting mostly of students. The front of the crowd, however, were almost solely the members of the press. A few television cameras were pointed at the podium where Michelle Grant was holding her introductory speech.

"Don't worry, it'll go fine," the blonde assured. "Just shoot one of your infamous puns to break the ice and you're all set."

"Infamous?" Max smirked, lifting her brow.

"Y'know, cheesy."

"My puns are not cheesy," the brunette retorted playfully. "They are _pun_ ctual and _pun_ tended."

"I rest my case," Chloe said, grinning.

"Dork!"

"Your very own." The blonde placed a kiss on the brunette's cheek. "Now go up there and bedazzle them!"

"...and without further ado, I give the podium to Blackwell Academy's most accomplished alumnus, President Maxine Caulfield!" Michelle Grant ended her introduction.

Max stood up and waved to the crowd as she walked to the podium. She shook hands with Principal and took her place at the stand. She arranged the cue cards for the umpteenth time to buy a few more seconds before she would actually have to say anything.

Finally Max lifted her gaze from the cards. The teleprompter was slightly to her right and she could see the first words of her speech on the glass panel. Something else caught her attention though, as she noticed that pretty much everyone was fiddling their phones.

She was about to clear her throat to get their attention, when one of the reporters suddenly raised his hand and asked: "Madam President, can you comment the nature of your relationship to your aide, Courtney Wagner?"

The unexpected question took the brunette completely by surprise. She tried to restore her composure, when another reporter, this time a woman, asked: "Is it a sexual relationship?"

"How long has the affair been going on?" someone shouted from another direction.

"Does the First Lady know about your affair?"

"Are you getting a divorce?"

Max stood there gasping for air like she was suffocating. She turned to look at Chloe who was sitting with an equally amazed expression on her face. _Courtney,_ was the first comprehensible thought that came into her mind. _Courtney has leaked the affair to the press!_ The brunette furrowed her brows at the thought. She lifted her arm and...

**Boooommmmm...**

Max watched how time flowed backwards. Michelle Grant backed to the podium while the brunette walked back to her own place by Chloe's side. She kept on rewinding until she reached her physical limit and the time returned abruptly back to its normal flow. She turned to look at the blonde who looked at her slightly bemusedly.

"Is there something wrong with my eyes or did you just...?" she whispered.

"Yes, Chloe," the brunette said. "Look, there's not much time. Courtney is going to leak the affair to the press when I rise to the podium."

"That ungrateful bitch!" the blonde hissed. "How was she able to time it so precisely?"

"She knows my schedule," Max answered. "She probably has someone in the crowd to tip her off."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know..." the brunette started but she stopped to think about her situation, what she had found out about her counterpart in this reality and the discussions she had had with Chloe. She might be the President of the United States but at what price? Maxine had left a trail of broken lives behind her on her way to power. The moment of reckoning was at hand and it was up to Max to pick up the tab. Sure, she could've explain it away, perhaps even deny the whole thing and sue Courtney for slander or alternatively buy her silence, but then she wouldn't be any better than Maxine. No, she knew what needed to be done. Max closed her eyes and let a gentle smile on her face.

"Chloe, remember when you talked about having an exit strategy the other day?" the brunette turned to face the other woman.

"Yes, what about it?"

"I think this is my exit strategy," Max said calmly.

"You mean…?" Chloe's eyes grew wider.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"If you're okay with it, then I'm sure." the brunette took Chloe's hand into hers.

The blonde looked at her for a passing moment, before she smiled and squeezed her hand. "All I want is you, that's all that matters."

"Thank you, Chloe," Max said and smiled. "It seems that the subject of my speech is going to be somewhat different than I originally intended."

"...and without further ado, I give the podium to Blackwell Academy's most accomplished alumnus, President Maxine Caulfield!" Michelle Grant ended her introduction.

Max stood up and set the cue cards on the empty chair. She walked again to the podium and shook hands with the Principal before taking the stand. This time she didn't hesitate but tapped on the microphone to get everyone's attention.

"Students of Blackwell, ladies and gentlemen," she began her speech. "I was going to speak today about the memory of Rachel Amber and about the spirit of Blackwell and Arcadia bay but there has been a development, as a result of which I am facing the consequences of my past deeds and I have no other choice than to take responsibility." She paused momentarily to see the crowd murmuring bemusedly and some of them picking up their phones. "Some of you are probably now reading a tweet or some other posting about an affair between me and my personal aide, Ms. Courtney Wagner. I want to tell you that those allegiations are absolutely true. Ms. Wagner and I have been having an affair for some time." The last sentence caused a bigger murmur. All the reporters pointed their portable recorders towards the President and cameras began flashing repeatedly.

"My wife, the First Lady, hasn't been aware of this relationship, until yesterday, when I personally told her about it," Max continued her speech. "I've ended the relationship with Ms. Wagner and also accepted her resignation from her position as the presidential aide. I've also apologized to my wife, and while we're only at the beginning of the path to reconciliation and restoration of our mutual trust and respect for each other, she has expressed her wish to stand by my side through this journey, for which I am forever grateful to her." The brunette turned to face the blonde sitting in the chair a few feet away. "I love you, Chloe. I want to work our issues out and find again that passion we once had, if you'll still have me, that is."

Chloe nodded gently and smiled in response.

"A relationship, regardless of its nature, is a mutual agreement, a binding contract that both parties should honor. A contract built upon trust and respect," Max turned to face the crowd again. "As the President I set an example for the people. What kind of role model am I if I don't abide by the same rules as the people who have elected me into my position? I have broken the trust you placed upon me and I realize I have to start rebuilding that trust from the people closest to me." the brunette closed her eyes and hung her head. "With deep regret I announce that..."

Max stopped as she noticed that the people had start fidgeting their phones again. _Now what?_

"Madam President! Mrs. Price! We need to leave right now!" Dana Ward said frantically, holding her hand on her earpiece. "There has been a development."

"What development?" the brunette asked bemusedly.

"We have to get you into the vehicle first, Ma'am," Dana said and began to lead the couple away from the crowd that had begun to murmur anxiously.

Max saw the Beast revving in down the service road. The Secret Service agents gathered around them to secure the distance to the limousine. The vehicle turned on the grass and stopped in front of them. Max and Chloe got in and Dana joined them in the passenger section. As soon as the door closed behind them the limousine dashed off.

"Now, would someone please tell me what's going on?" Max asked, peeved.

Dana tapped on the screen between the seats. "I have the President on the line, General Madsen."

"David! What's happening?" the brunette asked as she saw the uniformed man on the screen.

"Madam President, I have terrible news," he said with a discouraged tone. "The terrorists somehow managed to sneak the stolen warhead into the capital without our knowledge and to detonate it."

Max gasped in shock as the man on the screen closed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Washington D.C. is gone, Madam President."

**To be continued...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Welcome back to another chapter of Executive Rewind! This is where the shit really begins to hit the fan. Rewind powers can take you only so far. In this chapter I cast some light to why Chloe is the peg-legged pirate she is and why Maxine has become, well Maxine.
> 
> I thought I'd made a nod to the original game by bringing in Chloe's, or similar truck that Chloe drove in the game. I did some digging and apparently, the F-Series Ford from mid-80's is closest to the truck that Chloe drives. Some of you may recognize the Ranchero Chloe mentions. It's a nod to my other stories, Obscura and Once Upon a Time on Hellaween, where Max drives a blue '79 Ford Ranchero truck. I also chose the game clothing as the ladies disguises.
> 
> William and Joyce's second names and the maiden name of Joyce aren't canon, so I came up with my own. Joyce's maiden name hails to Texas and neighboring states, where I've made a notice of '-er' ending surnames being used. William's second name Robert I've used in my other story, Ships in the night and I figured that since Chloe's second name is Elizabeth, it would be fitting, if Joyce's second name would be Margaret.
> 
> A shoutout for a fellow LiS fan, Mai Queti, who is a talented artist and also an accomplished writer. She kindly gave her permission to me to write a little cameo for her in the current chapter. Do check out her works over at DeviantArt, AO3 and FFNet.
> 
> Thanks again for all the reviews! Please do keep them coming.
> 
> The next chapter of Executive Rewind will also be the concluding chapter. The complete story should just about break 40k words without notes. When I started writing ExR, I had already planned to stay within the confines of the 'five days' of the game. The actual ending didn't become clear though, until around midway of the writing. I just hope that I've managed to come up with one that wouldn't be quite so obvious. More about that in the next chapter's notes.
> 
> Thanks again for reading and see you in the final chapter.


	10. All in the Line of Duty

**October 11, 2017, 1:47 p.m.**

"Washington D.C. is... gone?" Max tried to comprehend what David had just told her.

"Yes, Madam President," the General confirmed. "We're still trying to determine the exact ground zero but preliminary estimates place it somewhere in the southwestern quadrant of the city. The explosion wiped away the Downtown and Capitol Hill. Also the Pentagon, the Reagan airport and the Anacostia-Bollin base are gone. The missing warhead was about 20 kilotons so the highest impact is within a mile radius, gradually declining the further you go. We have no knowledge of the casualty rate yet but it's easily tens, maybe hundreds of thousands."

"What about Kate, Victoria and the others?" Max interrupted him. "Are they all...?"

"Everything is in complete chaos now, so officially I can't either deny or confirm." David went quiet for a moment. "But if they were at their offices during the explosion, I'm afraid they're all gone. If I had not been in Annapolis to hold a lecture at the academy I'd be dead too."

 _They're all dead!_ That was the only thing that echoed inside the brunette's head as she watched the desperate expression on David's face. He looked like he had aged twenty years in one day.

"There is no telling where the numbers will go, when the people affected by radiation will begin to show symptoms," David continued. "I'm trying to coordinate with FEMA and the National Guard to establish a perimeter around the blast zone."

"How... how was this even possible?" Max finally managed to ask.

"I... I honestly don't know," the General sighed. "Our intelligence failed miserably. Bin Abdullah had us on a wild goose chase while he and the other members of Crimson Crescent smuggled the warhead into the country. What I don't understand why the radiation detectors didn't..." He turned his sight away from the camera and Max could hear him tapping the keyboard. "What! This can't be..."

"What is it?"

"I'm looking at the logs of the radiation detection system," David said. "According to the logs, there was an unscheduled recalibration of the system this morning. Someone had hacked into the system and activated the calibration." He let out another sigh. "The possible spike caused by the warhead blended into the calibration data."

Max watched the older man close his eyes. She could almost hear his teeth grinding together as he clenched his jaw. She could only begin to imagine what was going on inside the soldier's head right now.

"But none of this is relevant at the moment," the general said. "We need to get you to a secure location. The country has lost its capital and government, not to mention the lives of thousands of civilians." He looked Max straight in the eye. "You need to get the government working. The country needs its leader right now."

"General, we're on our way to the Nehalem Bay airport," Dana interrupted. "Once we're airborne and on our way to 'Zion', well get back to you."

"You kids take care of each other now." General David Madsen briefly gave way to parent David Madsen who let out a tired but caring smile.

"We will, Dad." Chloe smiled back at the screen. "Try to be careful."

"Take care, David," Max added before the screen went blank.

"Oh my god, Max!" Chloe said frantically, taking the brunette into her embrace. "This is awful! What are we going to do?"

Max didn't say anything. She stared blankly at the dark LCD screen. _Washington D.C. is gone! Kate and Victoria and all those people in the city are dead!_ The brunette turned her gaze at her hands. _I can't possibly rewind far enough to prevent the bomb from detonating, can I?_

"Max?" the blonde asked, still holding the brunette in her embrace.

"I have to try to fix this, Chloe," Max said with determination. She turned to look at the other woman. "I'm going to rewind as far as I can and warn David and the others about the bomb."

"Can you go that far?"

"I don't know, but I have to try," Max said, well aware that Dana was watching them with a bemused look.

"All right, be careful," Chloe said with a concerned tone.

"I will," the brunette assured and placed a kiss on the blonde's lips.

Max raised her hand and concentrated. Nothing happened. _What the fuck?_ Suddenly, a lashing pain went through her head. She could hear her own pained cry before everything went black.

-ooo-

The first thing Max registered was the humidity, like she was in a basement. She opened her eyes slowly, only to find out that she was surrounded by complete darkness. She tried to lift her arm, only to find it bound into something.

"Feeling a little disoriented, are we?" Max heard a voice saying. "Let me help you with that." Just as the lights switched on and she blinked rapidly to adjust to the sudden light, she realized that the voice talking to her was her own.

Once her eyes had finally adjusted to the light, Max became aware of her surroundings. She was bound to an armchair that was placed in front of a whitewall. This was the dark room that she had seen in her dream earlier. The person sitting on the opposing sofa wasn't Mark Jefferson though.

"It is nice to finally meet you, Max," the person said. "I suppose I don't need to introduce myself."

Introductions were indeed not necessary; Max recognized the shoulder length, slightly disheveled chestnut hair, the worn Nirvana band t-shirt and the shabby sweatpants. The woman staring at her intensively was her, although the slight smugness in her smile was something she didn't recognize as her own.

"Maxine," the bound brunette said flatly.

"Now, is that a way to address the mother of the nation?" President Caulfield asked with the same smugness that accompanied her expression. "Well, I suppose we can keep it informal, you are me after all. And I mean literally, because even here, you seem to be occupying my body."

"What is this place?" Max asked as she instinctively glanced down at her body to confirm that she was still wearing the business suit that she had chosen today.

"It is not very easy to describe," Maxine said. "Technically, it's happening inside your head, but there is more to it than that."

"What do you mean?"

"When you prevented Chloe from getting killed and created my timeline before fast forwarding to the present, your consciousness was branched into two," Maxine explained. "The first stayed in the newly created timeline, becoming me. The other consciousness, yours, was the issue; you could think of it as doing a system restore to a previous point in time on your computer but instead of purging the point where the system restore was called, it lingers on the computer hard drive until the system reaches that point and the original settings take over again. You're following me so far?"

Max nodded in comprehension.

"Very good!" the woman sitting on the sofa said tauntingly. "In our case, your consciousness lingered in the back of my brain waiting for the time to reach that particular timestamp and take over. Like a virus set to execute at a certain point," she continued her explanation. "Of course it's not quite that simple as there are quantum mechanics involved and such. You could say that I am the amalgamation of all the Maxes you left behind."

"All the Maxes...?" the brunette asked bemusedly.

"Think about every time you rewound to fix something," Maxine explained. "Each and every time you've rewound, you've started a new timeline and left the old one to continue its course, with a Max in it." She stood up and walked slowly next to the chair Max was sitting. "With that, comes the only perk of being ripped out of your life and pushed into this limbo, being able to see the outcomes of all the other choices." She began to rip the tapes binding the brunette to the chair. "I trust that despite all your contempt you feel for me, we can still be civil towards each other if I release you from these restraints. You still haven't learned to keep your cool, have you?"

Max didn't reply, instead scornfully examining her counterpart. Even though Maxine resembled exactly the image Max had become accustomed to seeing in the mirror every morning, the arrogant look in her eyes and slight smugness in her smile reminded her of all the appalling things that the woman untying her was responsible for.

"I know what's going on in your head right now," Maxine said as she undid the last ties and stepped back. "You're wondering how I became what I am today, aren't you?"

"Chloe told me that in the beginning of your reunion you were empathetic and sacrificing," Max said as she stood up and stretched her arms and legs. "What could Jefferson have possibly done to you for you to become such a ruthless and manipulative bitch?"

Maxine looked at her sharply, then snorted. "Well, I suppose you have the right to know, since you're the reason I exist," she said. "Jefferson was a perverted freak who got his kicks out of drugging young girls and taking photographs of them. The truth is, I have hardly any recollection of the actual photoshoots - and whatever else might have happened during them - because he kept me drugged. They are just vague images of him being there with me. A traumatic experience, but nothing that a few years of therapy couldn't take care of. But that's only part of the whole truth."

Maxine walked to a bar cabinet and took a bottle of Ardbeck and a glass. "Jefferson might have been a sick bastard, but he sure had good taste in whisky," she said as she poured herself some. "You want some?"

Max shook her head.

"Suit yourself," the other woman said and took a sip. "You've probably heard that on the same day Chloe was run over by the train, Kate Marsh tried to kill herself."

"Yes, Victoria mentioned it."

"She would've died if I hadn't decided to go to Blackwell to take a shower and have a change of clothes while they were operating on Chloe in the surgery. It was sheer luck that I managed to talk her down." Maxine took another sip. "Chloe and I had already talked about Rachel's disappearance, and I had begun to suspect that there was also some foul play involved with what had happened to Kate at the Vortex club party. With Chloe incapacitated, there was not much I could do, though. I pretty much had to rely on asking around about Kate and Rachel. I suspected Nathan Prescott had something to do with Kate's behavior and Rachel's disappeacence, which he did, but I never could've guessed that Jefferson was the actual culprit." She frowned at the thought.

"I was young and naive and really looked up to Jefferson," Maxine continued. "So I went to him with my suspicions about Nathan. He pretended to be genuinely interested by my concerns, and agreed to help me to find out the truth." She let out a snort. "In reality, he just wanted to find out how much I knew."

"How did he capture you?" Max asked.

"He told me that he'd found a possible clue about Rachel's whereabouts and asked me to join him to check it out. I was so eager to find out what had happened to Rachel that I didn't even bother to ask any details about that clue. As soon as we got into his car, he pulled out a syringe and drugged me. The next thing I remember is waking up in this room, tied to that chair, with that sicko taking pictures of me with a manic expression on his face."

Max watched as her counterpart went quiet, emptied her glass and looked away with bitter a scowl. She could see that reminiscing about these things was painful for Maxine. This brief expression of vulnerability made her feel a twinge of sympathy.

"That happened on Thursday afternoon, a day before the tornado," the other woman continued, bitterness now clearly present in her voice. "Jefferson had no intention of letting me out alive. He made that pretty clear when he told me in detail what had happened to Rachel Amber. Nathan had accidentally overdosed her and Jefferson had helped him to cover it up. He was planning to kill Nathan, too, and incriminate him for my murder. The police would be wrapping up their investigation while he would be banging Victoria in San Francisco."

"Well, obviously he didn't succeed," Max remarked.

"No, he left me to rot here over night with the intention of returning to do the 'final shoot'," Maxine said. "He never returned, though." She paused and closed her eyes. "Jefferson had drugged me again before he left, so I came to in an absolute darkness. The only thing I could register was the howling wind of the storm that was raging outside. When the storm ended, there was nothing. Just the sound of my own breathing and the beating of my heart. You'd be surprised how clear and distinct a sound your heart makes, when there is no ambient noise."

Maxine walked back to the cabinet and refilled her glass, emptying it instantly in one go, before turning to face Max. Her expression grew darker, and she stared the brunette poignantly.

"Can you even begin to imagine how it feels to be in a void-like darkness without being able to move so that you can't even feel your way around?" Maxine asked, every word oozing venom. "You have no sense of time. You are completely alone with your thoughts. Completely helpless, having to relieve yourself in your pants, when you are no longer able to hold it. You begin to wither away slowly because of starvation and dehydration. You dare not fall asleep, out of fear that you'll never wake up."

"I remember the hope that someone would come to rescue me dying as my body began to shut down," the longer haired brunette continued. "I had nothing left but anger and resentment, towards Jefferson, towards Nathan, towards Blackwell, towards Chloe, my parents, the world."

"I was barely conscious, when I began to hear noises above me, like rubble being cleared away, Maxine said. "I didn't know it then but the abandoned barn, under which the dark room was, had collapsed in the storm. When I heard the sounds I swore that if I got out I'd never be helpless or vulnerable again, that I'd get to a position where I'd be calling the shots." Max could see a gleam of obsession in her counterpart's eyes when she said the last sentence.

"After that, my next memory was waking up in the hospital. I'd spent three days in the darkness, although it felt like an eternity," Maxine ended her recap.

"How did they know where to look for you and what happened to Jefferson and Nathan?" Max finally opened her mouth.

"When they began looking for the missing people after the storm, they were able to find Jefferson's car based on the location sent by the GPS tracker installed into it," Maxine explained. "The car was at the barn. They discovered Jefferson and Nathan's bodies under the collapsed roof. My best guess is that Jefferson was going to get rid of Nathan but then the storm came. The rescuers then discovered the hatch that led down to the dark room."

Max looked at her counterpart in a mixture of shock and disgust. On some level she could relate to what Maxine had to have endured. Still, she was appalled by the possibility that under the right circumstances she could become a power hungry, ruthless person like the woman standing opposite to her.

"I take that you are familiar with the chaos theory and the butterfly effect," Maxine asked suddenly. "How a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state? How a butterfly flapping its wings somewhere can cause a tornado somewhere else?"

"I've watched my Ashton Kutcher," Max said dryly.

"I'm sure you have," the other woman said with an equal amount of sarcasm. "Since your arrival have you for one moment stopped to think what might have caused the tornado that leveled Arcadia Bay?"

The brunette turned to look at her counterpart. "Not really, why?" she asked tentatively.

"Figures," Maxine snorted. "I'll give you a hint, it has freckles and starts with an 'M'."

Max lifted her eyebrows momentarily in bemusement, before the realization hit her. "Me?" she blurted in shock.

"Yes, you," the other brunette confirmed. "It's a miracle that the temporal anomaly caused by your 'photo jump' and meddling with the timeline didn't wipe the whole continent out of existence."

The brunette stared at her counterpart, aghast, trying to process what Maxine told her. _But if I caused the tornado…_

"That's right, Max, you're responsible of the deaths of Joyce and the others that died in Arcadia Bay that day, just so that you could save your precious Chloe," Maxine said it out loud. "Of course I didn't realize it back then either, thinking all the weather phenomena were just a freak coincidence."

Max paced around frantically, not listening, and crossed her arms defensively as the anxiety hit her. _Oh my god! I caused the tornado, I killed all those people!_

"Ah, come on, Max!" the other woman said, showing no signs of compassion towards her suffering. "You haven't even heard the best part yet."

"What could possibly top the fact that I'm responsible for the tornado?"

"Do I really need to tell you?" Maxine lifted her brow meaningfully.

"Washington D.C..." Max gasped, barely audibly.

"Could you please repeat? I didn't quite catch that," her counterpart requested mockingly.

"Washington D.C.," the brunette repeated, her voice trembling.

"That's right, Washington D.C.!" Maxine sat back on the sofa and spread her arms on the back rest.

"Do you mean that my rewinding caused the nuke to go off in Washington?" Max asked in shock.

"Yes, although not in the way you might think," the other woman answered. "While rewriting 24 years' worth of history can cause disastrous environmental anomalies, the effects of short rewinds on the climate are negligible and a thermonuclear bomb hardly qualifies as a weather phenomenon. – But the decisions that you make, or more specifically the decisions that you change by rewinding, can cause a nuclear bomb to go off in the middle of Washington D.C. One decision to be exact."

Max didn't say anything, she didn't need to. Of all the rewinds she had done, she could only think of one that could've change the course of events so that the bomb would make its way to the capital.

"Exactly, your decision to save that special ops team," Maxine continued as she saw the brunette's expression. "A noble gesture in all of its futility; but these men and women know exactly what they signed up for. Had they died as they should've, my advisers would've suggested a, what is called a proportional response, in this case bombing a suspected Crimson Crescent training facility. Don't know about you but I would've sanctioned that bombing. The bombing would've taken out Sayid Bin Abdullah, in which case he wouldn't have been able to organize the smuggling of the warhead into Washington D.C. Without him, they would've been caught before they ever set their feet on U.S. soil."

"How can you possibly be so sure of the outcome?" Max shot back, trying to come to terms with the fact that her decision to use her powers to save those soldiers had resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of lives.

"As I said, I can see all the possible outcomes in parallel," the sitting brunette answered. "It's a shame I didn't have the same kind of clairvoyance before you came and stole my life. It would've make a lot of things easier. Or the ability to rewind for that matter. With your powers I could make the United States the super power it used to be."

"Make America great again, huh?" Max snorted.

"You think Trump and I are the same?" Maxine snapped. "Trump thinks running the country is like running his stupid reality show. Had he been chosen, he'd soon hit the reality of running this country. You've probably come to know already what kind of balancing being the President of the United States is. It's making compromises and horse-trades all day long."

"Yes, you can say I've had a taster," the brunette said. "I was ready to give it all up."

"Oh yes, the Courtney-gate," the other woman remarked. "Pissing her off certainly wasn't one of your wisest decisions. She has always clung to power and easily holds a grudge, if crossed. She is an excellent asset, if handled properly, not to mention a mind-blowing fuck." She grinned at the last sentence.

"How could you possibly cheat on Chloe with her?" Max asked condemningly.

"Chloe..." Maxine sighed. "I can only marvel at the determination with which she holds on to her promise to stay by my side. We had it good for a while but she just didn't have what it took to climb up the ladders of politics. She began to despise me because of the methods I used to push forward towards my goal. She just doesn't get it. Courtney, on the other hand, doesn't have any such inhibitions."

"Why haven't you just left Chloe?"

"I would, but that would destroy her." Maxine said. "Chloe has never been good at dealing with abandonment. On the other hand, who could blame her after having to cope with so much loss? If I left her, again, that would be the final blow. Despite everything, I couldn't do that to her. When Megan Weaver came along, I was hopeful, but apparently she isn't enough for Chloe to break her promise."

"You knew about Megan?" Max asked.

"Don't look so surprised!" the other woman retorted. "Of course I knew. I have a loyal agent in Chloe's security detail. He reports all of Chloe's activities to me."

"Always in the know, huh?"

"You don't get to be the President of the United States, if you don't have all the strings firmly in your hands."

Max had heard enough. She looked at Maxine furiously. "Since I've arrived in this timeline, I've come to learn what a horrible and manipulative person you are! Sure, you've had a traumatizing experience, but knowing that you have basically taken it out on the people that at least used to love and care about you makes me feel sick."

"You are standing there, being so righteous," Maxine sneered. "But you still haven't done anything with your gift other than turn things to your own advantage."

"I haven't..." Max tried to object but the other woman shut her up with a brush of her hand.

"Oh, please! Can you name a single occasion when you used your rewind for purely selfless reasons?"

Max went quiet for a while, as she tried to question her motives each time she had resorted to using her abilities. "The soldiers...?" she said insecurely.

"Hah!" Maxine gave a sardonic laugh. "You rewound because you thought you had screwed up big time."

"What about Alyssa?"

"Well that time you really did screw up big time, when you pushed her wrong button," the other woman laughed again. "Although I have to admit that was a good save. Had you not rewound, Alyssa would've spent the rest of her life institutionalized."

"Thanks to your manipulation!" Max scorned. "I may have pushed Alyssa over the edge but you took her there!"

"Did I? She practically prayed on her knees to be part of the team," Maxine said nonchalantly. "I hardly forced her to go through all those surgeries. I simply told her what it would take for her to get in. How she would get there, was completely up to her."

"You really are a piece of work," the brunette snorted at her counterpart. "You had the opportunity to do great things with the best people around you. Instead, you suck them dry in your quest to be on top of everything. I pity you."

"Says you who chose to shut all of her friends out, so that she could wallow in grief and self-pity," Maxine shot back.

"Well, maybe so, but at least I'm able to face myself in the mirror in the morning. And if I ever get back, I'm going to do something about it," Max said with new determination. "But first I'm going to fix things here."

A click from the door interrupted the two women. They both turned to see that the door leading upstairs was slightly ajar.

"Looks like our time is up," Maxine noted. "Those stairs take you, or me, back to reality."

Max looked at her counterpart tentatively. Was Maxine going to reclaim her body and leave her here? The other woman turned to look at her and smirked.

"As much as it would please me to leave you to rot here, I really have no desire to be the President who let the nation's capital to be blown to bits," the longer haired woman said. "It's all yours. I'm going to enjoy watching you try to fix it."

Max walked to the door, opened it and looked at the bright light at the end of the stairs. She turned to look at the other woman standing in the hallway. "Maxine?"

"What?"

"Eat shit and die!"

Having said that, Max closed the door behind her and climbed the stairs to the brightness.

-ooo-

"Max! Max!"

The brunette cracked her eyes open and found herself staring into Chloe's frantic face.

"Thank god you're awake!" the blonde said. "I was so worried when you passed out."

"How… how long was I out," Max asked groggily.

"Not long, less than ten minutes. We're still on our way to the airport," Chloe answered. "What happened?"

"I… was in the dark room," the brunette said in bemusement. "I met Maxine."

"Maxine?"

"Yeah. We had a parlay, of sorts." Max buried her head, before she continued. "She told me… told me that I'm responsible for the tornado and the nuclear explosion!"

"You?"

"It's connected to my powers. My photo hop caused some kind of temporal anomaly in the space time continuum, resulting in the tornado that wiped out Arcadia Bay," Max explained in desperation. "And the nuke going off in Washington was a result of my decision to save a military unit by rewinding." She sighed in frustration. "I wanted to use these powers to help people but all I really created was _death and destruction_ _!_ "

"Max, listen!" Chloe grabbed the brunette by the shoulders. "Don't you dare blame yourself! You didn't ask for these powers or to be the President of the United States. You got them by chance and all you did was what you thought was right."

"Did I now?"

"Damn right you did!" the blonde said firmly. "Don't you let anyone tell you otherwise!"

"But how am I possibly going to be able to fix this?"

"I think I know a way..." Chloe closed her eyes momentarily. "I've been thinking about this since we had the discussion about your return to your own timeline. You could probably prevent both the tornado and the bomb from happening, if you went back into that moment and let me... let me... die," she whispered the last word.

Max looked at the blonde in shock. She wasn't surprised that Chloe had come to the same conclusion about her return and she could even see Chloe offering to sacrifice herself if things would come to that. Still, it didn't make it any easier to accept that she would have to give up the woman she loved and who she had only recently got back.

"No!" the brunette said defiantly. "I won't trade you! Not now that I got you back. There has got to be some other way."

"I know, Max," the blonde said calmly. "I wouldn't want to lose you either. But I know neither of us could live with all those innocent lives on our conscience. These few days that we've spent together, they've been the happiest of my life. Whatever happens, wherever we may end up, we'll always have these moments. They'll always be ours." She looked out of the limousine window. "Maybe I've been living on borrowed time all these years and the time has come to pay the price."

"But I don't even know where the picture of the morpho is!" Max said desperately.

"I think it's at our house in Portland," Chloe said. "But there's no chance to get there now."

"Why?" the brunette asked curiously.

"There are security protocols in case of a national emergency," Chloe explained. "When something like this happens, the President will be transferred to a secure location. We won't be getting to Portland any time soon."

"Then what are we going to do?" Max asked anxiously. "I don't know if I have what it takes to lead the country in a situation like this."

A clearing of throat took both women by surprise. They had completely forgotten that Dana was in the passenger section with them. "Madam President, permission to speak freely?"

"Uh, sure..." Max said tentatively.

"Care to elaborate a bit further on what you just discussed?"

The brunette looked at the Secret Service agent who was sitting opposite to them, glancing at her slightly suspiciously with her hand resting on her sidearm. _Well, time to come clean, I guess._ "I suppose you deserve to know," she said finally. "All I'm asking that you will be open-minded to what you're about to hear."

And so Max explained her origin and recapped the events of the last few days, having her hand ready to rewind in case Dana resorted to drastic measures. To her surprise, the agent listened to her explanation calmly to the end. When Max finished her account, Dana looked at her in amazement but no longer having her sidearm at hand.

"Everything suddenly makes perfect sense," Dana said instead.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"President Caulfield, the real President Caulfield barely bothered to greet me," Dana explained. "When you suddenly began to have conversations with me, I sensed something was off."

"Why didn't you reveal me?"

"I didn't want to act based on a hunch," the agent answered. "Remember when I showed you that Polaroid the other day?"

The brunette nodded.

"I took your fingerprints from it and compared it to one we have in the database," Dana continued. "It was a perfect match. Beside your character, nothing else seemed to be off, so I thought it best to monitor the situation and see if something would turn up."

"So what are you going to do now that you know the truth?" Max asked.

"My duty," Agent Ward said, looking at her sternly, before she let out a smile. "Keep you and the First Lady out of harm's way, Madam President."

"So, is there any way we could make a quick detour via Portland on our way to that super-secret hideout?" Max asked.

"I'm afraid that's out of the question, Ma'am. These protocols are in place for a reason," Dana said, when her eyes suddenly grew wider with an insight. "Ma'am do you just need to get into that bathroom in a moment before the shooting?"

"Well, yes…" Max answered bemusedly.

"I still have that picture of us with me," the agent said. "Could you use that?"

"I suppose…" Max contemplated the idea. "It was taken pretty much just before I took the shot of the morpho." She turned to look at Chloe with teary eyes. "I'm so, so sorry… I… I don't want to do this."

"I know, Max," Chloe said, taking the brunette's hands into her own. "But we have no choice. We have to save all those people in Washington D.C. and Arcadia Bay. These few days with you make it hella worth it."

"Oh, Chloe, I'm going to miss you so much!" Max exclaimed and pulled the blonde closer into her embrace, their lips connecting for the final time. Max wanted to stop time right then and there so that she could stay like this forever. She could feel the blonde's tears mixing with hers as they flowed down their cheeks. With a single sob she finally let go of the blonde. "I love you, Chloe."

"I love you too, Max," Chloe said, sniveling. "Now, get out of here, please! Do it before I freak."

"We have to hurry, Ma'am. We're just about to arrive at the airport," Dana hurried. "Here is the photo." She passed the picture to the brunette.

Max cast a final glance at the blonde before she turned her attention to the picture where two young girls were smiling at the camera. In no time, she could see the picture pulsating and hear ambient noises emitting out of it. Just as she was about to dive into the picture, she could feel someone touching her shoulder. Before she could do anything about it, everything faded into white haze.

-ooo-

 _Click, whrrrrr!_ The Polaroid JobPro spat the picture out of its innards. Max took the picture and flapped it a few times, before handing it to the girl standing next to her. "Here you go, Dana," she said, trying to repeat what she had done over 24 years ago. The other girl didn't take the picture, though. She just stood there, staring at the brunette and then her own reflection in the mirror, flabbergasted.

"Oh fuck!" Dana finally managed to blurt out. "I'm actually here!"

"Dana?" Max asked in amazement.

"Yes, Ma'am," the Secret Service agent answered.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, will you drop the 'Ma'am'? We're both fucking teenagers!" Max snapped. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"My job, Ma…x," Dana answered. "Protecting you. When you said you had accidentally taken the Fir-, Chloe with you back to the date when her father died, I figured I'd see you through this safe and sound."

Max looked at the girl in the cheerleader outfit sternly for a moment, before she sighed. "All right, but you have to do exactly as I say. We're stuck within the confines of the photo so you can't go where you were during the shooting. Let's just hope that it doesn't disturb the timeline too much."

The brunette walked slowly to the far end of the restroom where she found the morpho standing on the edge of the bucket. She pointed her camera at the butterfly and took the picture.

"All right, come here and don't make a sound. Neither Nathan nor Chloe can know that we're here," Max motioned Dana to join her behind the stalls.

They stood there quietly and waited for Nathan to enter. A few moments later, they heard the door open and someone pace in.

"It's cool, Nathan… Don't stress…You're okay, bro. Just count to three…" the girls could hear Nathan beginning his rambling.

Max didn't pay attention to the young man's words, though. _It's not fucking fair! Why does Chloe have to take the fall in this?_ she asked herself. _She's been getting the short straw for the most of her life. Even her life with Maxine has been misery. She deserves a break! If it takes one life to prevent the storm from happening, it might as well be me. I don't want to go back to my old life, not without Chloe, not anymore._

Max could feel her own heart beating faster as she heard Chloe stepping inside in her bold manner and beginning to harass the young man. She knew how things would go from there – unless she intervened. The thought of dying scared her but she pushed the thought away. One step, one spoken word. That was all it would take to save Chloe, to redeem her and her hometown from their fate. It would not be an easy step but it was one that she had to take without hesitation.

"…You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing around with!" Max heard Nathan exclaim furiously. It was almost time.

 _I'm sorry, Chloe, but you don't get to be the hero after all,_ the brunette thought as she stood up quietly. She would need to time this just right.

"…Nobody would miss your 'thrashy ass', would they?" Max heard Nathan say. _Now!_

"Nathan!" she yelled as she stepped out. As she expected, the young man turned instinctively and his gun went off. What she didn't expect was to be tackled down by the girl next to her. Before she even knew, she was lying down on the restroom floor with Dana lying on top of her.

"Max?" the brunette could hear the blue-haired thrasher yelp in amazement. She saw how Nathan stood above her in shock, with the smoking gun in his hands. The next second she saw how the infuriated thrasher grabbed the young man's hair and smashed his head against the restroom mirror, making him fall limp on the floor.

"Dana?" Max asked when she realized that the cheerleader wasn't moving. She turned to look at other girl to see that she was smiling weakly at her. She could also see that she was bleeding. "Oh my god, Dana! You're bleeding!" She rose to a sitting position and turned the cheerleader onto her back, trying to apply pressure to the wound.

"Hazards of the job... Madam President..." the young woman breathed heavily.

"Why did you jump in front of me?" Max asked. "I'll rewind..." She raised her hand but Dana grabbed it.

"Please... don't..." the cheerleader whispered. "It's... all in the line of... duty..."

"Don't try to talk, we'll get some help," Max said frantically. "Chloe, we need an ambulance right now!" she yelled to the blue-haired thrasher, who had secured Nathan's gun.

"S-sure," Chloe stammered and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hold on, Dana," Max pleaded the bleeding girl. "Help will be here soon."

"Ahh... have seen enough gunshot wounds... this is... the end of the line for me..." Dana said trying to chuckle.

"I'm so sorry, Dana," the brunette whispered, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Don't..." the Secret Service agent breathed out. "Would... take a bullet for you... any day..." She paused as she had to cough blood out of her mouth. "Not so sure... about Maxine though..." Another burdened chuckle. "It was... a pleasure... serving you... Madam President..." Dana sighed out her final breath.

"No!" Max's plead turned into cracking sobs as she pulled the dead cheerleader into her embrace. For a moment she just sat there, holding Dana's body tightly. She didn't notice Chloe returning to the room.

"Max..." the blue-haired girl finally broke the silence. "The paramedics are on their way," she said, before she realized that they were no longer needed.

"Thank you, Chloe," Max said silently. She turned to look at the thrasher girl who looked at her with a mixture of bemusement, resentment and concern.

"What the fuck is going on, Max?" the bluenette asked. "How come you're here all of a sudden and why was Dana calling you 'Madam President'?"

Max looked at Chloe with weary eyes. "It's a long story that I promise to tell you one day. Right now I just want you to know how sorry I am for falling out of touch with you and I will dedicate the rest of my life to making it up to you," she said. "I'd like to ask you one favor though."

"You're really not in a position to ask favors," the thrasher said resentfully. "What is it?"

"Please don't let me ever run for any public office."

With that everything disappeared into a bright haze.

-ooo-

The first thing Max registered was the noise caused by a massive amount of people. She was standing by a makeshift fence that was mounted a few feet away from a relatively big stage containing stacks of loudspeakers, microphone stands and a drum set. A huge banner saying 'Hazy Lane' was stretched on the back.

 _Where am I?_ the brunette thought as she read the name from the banner. _Never heard of that band._

"You spacing out again, Max?" she heard a familiar voice saying next to her. She turned to see Kate smiling at her while holding Victoria in her embrace. Her eyes blinked wide open when she saw their outfits.

Kate was wearing a black corset with skin-tight shiny leather pants and boots with the kind of stiletto heels that would make any working girl jealous. A pair of black latex opera gloves completed the outfit. Victoria, on the other hand, was sporting a red and black latex top with a matching latex mini skirt and thigh length boots. The most striking detail, though, was the collar around the pixie blonde's neck with a heavy ring on the front and the chain whose other end was in the smaller blonde's hand.

"Wow, guys!" Max finally managed to say. "Aren't we kinky tonight?"

"She must be on something too," Victoria remarked. "Can't you remember we're gonna check out that new BDSM club right after the gig? Besides, I wouldn't call your outfit exactly modest either."

Max looked down and discovered she was dressed in a leather tank top that was tied up from the front, leaving the cleavage clearly visible. The top was accompanied by a pair of leather, boot cut pants and biker boots. _Wow! This is... actually kinda hot._ She felt a cool breeze on her right temple, so she lifted her hand on it, feeling only a stubble. _I have a one-sided undercut?_

The brunette turned to look around and recognized the place to be the KeyArena that was located north of downtown Seattle. _I'm back home!_ She looked further around but couldn't see the one person she wanted to see the most. _Is Chloe here at all? Are we together?_ She felt her pocket and dug out a booklet that contained her phone and a few cards. She took out her driver's license. 'Maxine Price' read in bold letters on the card. Max cringed when she saw her first name, but that was replaced with joy when she saw her last name. _Chloe and I are married!_ Another slot of the booklet contained a few calling cards. She dug one of them out.

Max Caulfield

Photographer

Max smiled when she looked at the card. Apparently she was still using her maiden name professionally. She put the card away and unlocked her smart phone. She quickly googled both Arcadia Bay and Washington D.C. and sighed in relief when she saw no mentions of tornados or nuclear explosions. She could now concentrate on a more pressing matter.

"Is Chloe here?" She asked from her friends.

"Well, she'd better be," Victoria grinned. "Otherwise we're going to have an angry audience on our hands."

"What do you mean..." Max began, before she realized what the pixie blonde meant. _Chloe is in the band!_

As a confirmation to her thoughts the lights on the stage were turned off, covering the platform in darkness and an intro started playing from the loudspeakers. Max could see the band members move into their positions but she couldn't make any of them out. Suddenly the stage was lit with pyrotechnics banging and smoke coming out of the nozzles as the band began to play. A black, dreadlocked man was hitting the drums almost in a hypnotic rhythm. An Asian woman with a skunk hairdo was playing the rhythm guitar and a bald white man with a red goatee was doing his magic with the lead guitar. Then she saw her.

Chloe was behind the center mike, picking the base guitar and hopping to the rhythm of the music. Her vibrant blue hair was cut into short, messy bangs and the white tank top revealed the sleeve tattoo on her right arm. Pale, ripped jeans and a pair of Doc Martens covered her legs. Max's could feel her heart skipping a beat, when their eyes met and the bluenette started singing.

The opening song was very intense and fast paced. It was quite raw and simple, like the grunge songs from their youth but with a modern twist. And Chloe's voice, shifting from the soft and pure singing in the verses to the raw and furious roaring in the choruses, was just heavenly. With every word, Max felt that Chloe was singing just for her. Her face was fixed in a permanent smile.

The band finished the first song and the blue-haired vocalist set her instrument aside and took the microphone in her hand.

"Hello Seattle! How are we doing?" Chloe addressed the audience and was rewarded with almost deafening cheers and applauds.

"I'm glad because we're gonna treat you with a hella show tonight!" More cheers and applauds.

"You know, after a long tour across the continent, it always feels great to come home," Chloe said. "We started over twenty years ago from the same small bars and clubs as so many other bands that have their roots in Seattle. We've been all over the world but Seattle will always have a special place in our hearts."

"This next song is dedicated to a brave selfless young woman, to whom my wife and I owe our lives. If you can hear us, Dana, this is for you!" Chloe introduced the next song, looking up. "This is 'Everyday Hero'!"

The song was a melancholic ballad about selflessness and willingness to risk your life for others without hesitation. Chloe's singing was wistful and Max could hear her voice trembling a bit. A tear ran down her cheek when she thought about Dana, who had without hesitation taken the bullet meant for the brunette. She felt sorry for the teenaged cheerleader who had had no say in the matter. She felt also sorry for the Max whose life she had now taken over. On the other hand she envied her because she had got to experience the evolution of her relationship with Chloe, their marriage and all other shared moments of joy and sorrow.

The concert went on with Max enjoying every moment. The selection of songs varied from fast paced hard rock pieces to mellower ballads, about love, loss, sorrow, anger, death, life, happiness. Max wondered how much Chloe drew from her own life into the lyrics as she was sure that the blue-haired woman was behind the emotion laden words.

The band finished their set and left the stage but they returned for an encore ushered by a vibrant applause.

"Thank you so much! You guys are awesome!" Chloe thanked the people. "We have one last song for you guys. I made this one a long time ago for my wife, who is my everything," she said, looking directly at Max. "This is 'You're Amazing'!" Max could see how Chloe mouthed 'I love you so much, babe' to her, before they started playing.

"I love you too, Chloe," Max said out loud.

-ooo-

Max was led to the back room by one of the crew members. She had asked Kate and Victoria to join her but they had declined politely and told her that they would see them later at the club. The crew member opened the back room door and let Max in. She was greeted by an extensive stench of sweat caused by four people that were sitting in armchairs around a small table, enjoying drinks and snacks.

"Heyy, Maximus!" the black drummer, whose name Max didn't know, greeted her with a wide grin on his face.

"Heyy… you," the brunette said back with a slightly awkward smile. "Awesome gig!"

"Absolutely!" the Asian woman said. "Playing in Seattle always gets the best out of us. Glad you enjoyed it, Max."

"Hey, Max, good to see you again," the bald guitarist greeted. "The boss lady here has been moping most of the tour yearning after you," he said, grinning at the direction of the blue-haired woman.

"Fuck off, Johnny!" Chloe blurted, tossing a half-empty beer can at the guitarist. "Some of us have the decency not to hump every possible groupie that hands out their twat on a platter." She stood up and cast a warm smile at the brunette. "I'm sorry, babe, these jokers have a bad influence on my language."

"Says Miss Congeniality here," Johnny retorted back.

Chloe ignored the guitar player's words, as she walked to the smiling brunette and took her into her embrace. Their lips joined in a long, passionate kiss. "I missed you, Maxaroni," she said when their lips finally parted.

"I missed you too, Che," Max replied and kissed the bluenette again.

"Hey, get a room, you two!" the Asian guitarist said and tossed one of the pillows at the kissing couple.

"We will, Mia," Chloe said, turning to look at the skunk-haired woman. "Namely this room. You guys, scram!"

"Heyy, no fair!" the drummer protested but he stood up with the others anyway.

"Hey, you guys don't have to leave on our account" Max tried to stop them.

"Don't worry about it, Max," Mia chuckled. "We were about to leave anyway. After several weeks on the road, you just want to go home, have a warm bath and just relax. We're going to have a tour ending celebration tomorrow evening."

"Yeah, you guys have a good evening," the drummer said. "See you tomorrow, Chloe."

"Thanks, Randy! See you guys tomorrow," Chloe answered.

"Later Chloe," Johnny said as the three band members exited the back room.

"Hey, babe," the bluenette said, still holding the smaller woman in her embrace.

"Hey yourself," the brunette answered, looking straight into her wife's eyes.

"You know, Johnny wasn't exactly lying when he said I was moping for the most of the tour," Chloe said. "I guess I'm still not used to touring without you."

"I should've been there with you," Max said.

"And cancel the opening of your gallery?" the bluenette objected. "Can't believe I missed that."

"I suppose that's part of being an adult; you have to hold on to your commitments," Max noted.

"Well, we're both here now. That's all that matters." Chloe kissed the brunette once more and pulled away. "Lemme catch a shower and change so I'm ready to join you. What was this place you were taking me to?"

"Err, it's some new BDSM club downtown. Kate and Vic seem to be into that kind of thing," Max explained and found herself blushing.

"It would definitely seem so," Chloe chuckled, "considering that they've been doing it since their senior year at Blackwell." She pulled her tank top off. "They certainly put that creepy dark room into good use, when they renovated it into a BDSM playroom. Vic never quits bragging about how insanely cheap she bought the barn from the Prescotts – and how insane profit they make by renting it out for private sessions and photo and video shoots," she said as she continued undressing. "Still, it never ceases to amaze me how almost all the patrons allow their sessions to be streamed live into the internet. That's where the real money comes from."

Max listened to her wife in amazement. Kate and Victoria's relationship had clearly taken a new turn as a result of Dana's sacrifice. _Well, as long as they are both happy..._ She turned her attention to the large bouquet of flowers on one of the tables. She took the card that was attached into it and recognized immediately the presidential seal on the backside. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she read the text.

_My apologies for not being able to make it to your finale. See you next time you're in Washington D.C._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Vincent Furnier_

Max stared at the signature for a few moments, before she dug out her phone and opened the Wikipedia, and lo and behold, Alice Cooper was the 45th President of the United States.

"You know, he called me personally before the gig started," Chloe said as Max put the card away. "He wanted to express his regrets for not being able to make it and his gratitude for Hazy Lane supporting him in his campaign."

Max looked at the bouquet and thought about the things that had changed and the woman whose life she had taken over but of whom she knew nothing about. Most of all she thought about the woman behind her who didn't realize that the woman in front of her wasn't the one she had once married. _She deserves to know the truth._

"Chloe, remember that day in the restroom when you asked what I was doing there and I said it was a long story that I promised to tell you one day?"

"Yeah?"

"I think today's the day..." Max turned to look at her wife and almost dropped her phone as she found her standing in her birthday suit.

"I'd love to hear it, but what do you say I help you out of that hot biker mama getup and you join me in the shower first?" Chloe asked with a mischievous grin.

The brunette's eyes trailed slowly along the curves of her wife's body, before she grinned back.

"For you, anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for tuning in to this final chapter of Executive Rewind. It's been a hella ride. After ten chapters and 45k words we've reached the end. For me personally, writing this story has been in many ways educating. At least I've done quite a lot of reseach on it.
> 
> The initial inspiration for this story were two LiS stories: Black Swan and Grande Dame by Lyta Halifax. Both excellent stories that involved detailed insight about the US government and political system. Having read those, I began to think that what if it was Max who ended up right there at the top of the political hierarchy? Max's time powers gave the much needed twist to make our freckled brunette land into the position accidentally and suddenly, and making her have to learn as she went. If you have seen the movies Dave and The American President and the tv-series West Weing, you may have noticed that I've taken some elements from those and mixed them together.
> 
> Of course I couldn't use Max and the others as teenagers and since I wasn't too keen about writing a story that would be set twenty-four years into the from the canonic 2013, I decided that all the game characters were born 20 years earlier and the story would take place in 2017, after the election. That gave me the chance to adapt some things in the game into the 90's. It also made the characters easier for me to relate, me being born in the 70's. Hence Chloe ended up being a thrasher and Max a grunger rather than a punk and a hipster.
> 
> The story was initially supposed to be a more lighthearted one and concentrating more to the day-to-day politics in the West Wing. Pretty much after having written the prologue, I introduced the longer arching plot related to the nuclear warhead and also Max slowly learning about her counterpart. I had initally planned to end the story differently with Max deciding to intervene the restroom scene but leaving the end open. That changed though to the ending seen here for which I laid the groundwork by making Chloe to accidentally join Max into the photo jump. I thought having Dana to take the bullet for Max would be quite fitting to her profession as a Secret Service agent. I also initially planned Chloe to choose to save William and create another timeline where Trump was in power and USA in a shooting war. I gave up on that because I began to think that the older Chloe would act more responsively.
> 
> I like to cross reference elements between my stories and this story is no exception. The band Hazy Lane was mentioned in Once Upon a Time on Hellaween, although Chloe wasn't the front woman in that version. Kate and Victoria's liking to BDSM is a reference to an unpublished story set in a more canon timeline where Kate and Victoria get into BDSM with Kate being the dominant party and Victoria the sub. I may publish that story someday but not now.
> 
> When I started writing this story, I never could've imagined that Trump would win the election. It seems I was proven wrong. That's pretty much all I want to say about it Alice Cooper has continuously run for the presidency so I thought I'd give the guy a break in my ending.
> 
> Then some shoutouts:
> 
> Lyta Halifax: Thank you so much for your masterpieces Black Swan and Grande Dame! Without those this story would not have happened. Thank you also for all the insight you've offered in your reviews! They have always been anticipated.
> 
> Crowthorne: You probably didn't realize where you stuck your head into when you posted your first grammatical corrections in your review. Thank you so much for accepting my request to beta read the last two chapters and help to make them better!
> 
> MaiQueti: Thank you for letting me give you a cameo in one of the chapters! Your artwork is awesome and your stories are entertaining.
> 
> Guardian of Azarath and GrumpyCat42: You two are the most long-lived reviewers of my stories. Your thoughts have always been appreciated.
> 
> RowanRed81 and TheGoodShipFluffy: Without your wonderful stories, I probably wouldn't have rekindled my passion for writing. Thank you!
> 
> Also thank you to everyone else who have read and reviewed! I hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Lastly, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Let it be a good one.


	11. Epilogue

She finds herself standing at the beginning of a forest path. She knows exactly what path it is, as she has taken it numerous times. She tilts her head backwards to see the top of the lighthouse behind the trees, on the top of the hill where the path leads.

What she doesn't know is how she got here. Her last memory is from the back room of the KeyArena stage, where she was about to join Chloe in the shower. After that she has no recollection, before this moment.

 _Is this another dream episode?_ she thinks as she begins her walk to the lighthouse. Something tells her she'll find her answers there.

As she walks up the rocky path, she remembers the conflict inside her about Chloe's request to join her in the shower. She is not the Max who Chloe in this timeline thinks she is. She knows nothing about the life of the Max of this timeline, nothing about this Max's life together with Chloe. Yet, she was more than willing to oblige the blue-haired woman's request just because she could finally be with her.

_What right have I to steal the life of this timeline's Max? She seems a kind and loving person who lives a happy life. She doesn't deserve to have it taken away from her this way. I'd love a life like hers but not at this cost!_

She reaches the end of the path. The lighthouse stands majestic between the forest and the cliff side, a beacon of hope to those who might be lost at sea. She sees the bench on which she has sat on numerous occasions. This time, though, the bench isn't vacant. Even from a distance, she can see who is sitting there. She recognizes the worn Nirvana tee, the disheveled shoulder-length hair and sweatpants. It's her own physical appearance. The question is, who is occupying the body this time?

"Maxine?" she asks diffidently.

The other woman turns to look at her. She smiles, but unlike the last time, the smile is genuine and heartfelt.

"Yes, although my friends call me Max," the sitting woman answers.

"So do mine," she replies. "Not that I really have any."

"Have a seat, Pete," the other Max says.

She chuckles at the quote as she sits down next to her counterpart. "It's been a while since I've heard that," she says, smiling, before her expression takes a more serious tone. "I suppose you know who I am and why we're here?"

"I do," the woman sitting next to her says. "I became aware of you and your origins, when I was suddenly pulled out of my own life and into here. I know of Maxine and what happened to Arcadia Bay and Washington D.C."

"Maxine... is she...?"

"She no longer exists," Max answers. "When you photo jumped again to an earlier point in time, the point where Maxine's timeline would've begun never occurred. Instead, you created my timeline."

She looks at her counterpart bashfully, knowing that she's the reason why the other Max is now stuck in the corners of her mind. "I'm so, so sorry. I never meant this to happen. I just wanted to give Chloe a chance to be happy."

"But you did," the other Max says. "Ever since Dana saved us, we've tried to live our lives to the fullest and make each other happy to honor her sacrifice. We've had our ups and downs but in the end we've always had each other's backs. We love each other, that's all that matters."

"And now I've taken her from you."

"I can't argue with that," the other brunette admits.

"Do you want me to step down?" she asks. "It's your life, I have no right to it." Even though she is afraid what the answer might be, she is willing to accept it.

Max closes her eyes into a warm smile, before she answers: "I appreciate your offer but there is another way. I know that Maxine told you that she is the amalgamation of all the Maxes you left behind in that timeline." She pauses momentarily. "She left out one significant detail, though."

"What detail?"

"That the amalgamation would've also worked between you two," her counterpart answers. "She could've merged with you, becoming one consciousness, one soul, but she didn't. Care to know why?"

She nods.

"Because she was afraid. Afraid that she would have had to give in to your principles. To Maxine, control was everything. She wasn't willing to share it with anyone, much less relinquish it. She also knew that with the devastation of Washington D.C. her political career would be over, so she chose to stay in control of whatever domain she had left."

"The dark room?"

"Yes. Talk about irony."

"Then... can we merge into one?" she asks.

"We can," the other Max confirms.

"How does it work?"

"Our consciousnesses will become one," the other brunette explains. "The amalgamated consciousness will have the memories and abilities of both. The traits of our personalities will mix but I see there no problems as we are pretty much alike in the areas that matter."

"Who... who will be in control?"

"Neither as there will be no you or me after we merge. There will only be one Max that is the sum of us. The strongest traits of our personalities will define her but, as I said, there probably won't be any big changes there."

"And you would be willing to go through with this?"

"Let's put it this way." Max smiles. "Without you, I wouldn't have gotten twenty-four wonderful years with Chloe. It's the least I could do."

She looks at her counterpart tentatively. The thought that she, as herself, would cease to exist frightens her. Still, it's better than any of the alternatives. She would get to be with Chloe and Chloe would have the woman she has always loved. "Ok, how do we do this?"

"Take my hands," the other woman says as she offers her hands.

She intertwines her fingers with Max's. At first, she doesn't feel anything but suddenly, she gasps slightly as she remembers.

She remembers how Nathan is apprehended after the shooting and how Jefferson is arrested soon after that.

She remembers how she is sitting at the Two Whales, with Chloe, catching up and building rapport.

She remembers how they are celebrating Halloween together.

She remembers how Chloe finally tells her how she really feels for her at the lighthouse. And the kiss that follows.

She remembers their first Thanksgiving together as a couple at the Caulfield household in Seattle.

She remembers their first Christmas together at the Price/Madsen household.

She remembers how they are shooting fireworks at the beach on New Year's Eve.

She remembers their first fight, just before prom, about coming out as a couple.

She remembers how they come out as a couple at the prom.

She remembers their graduation. Herself from Blackwell, Chloe from Arcadia Bay High.

She remembers how they spend their summer restoring Chloe's Ranchero, with David, who has retired from the military, helping them.

She remembers their joy when they both have been accepted to the Seattle University.

She remembers their road trip together to California.

She remembers how they carry their belongings to their first home in Capitol Hill, Seattle.

She remembers watching Hazy Lane doing their first gig at a student bar in First Hill.

She remembers Chloe's graduation four years later.

She remembers her own graduation one year after that.

She remembers how they travel to Paris for the first time.

She remembers how they attend the opening of David's flower shop.

She remembers Hazy Lane getting their first record deal.

She remembers Hazy Lane playing at the re-launching of Lollapalooza.

She remembers their wedding in Massachusetts in 2004. May 20th this time.

She remembers as they move their belongings to the same loft apartment as where she lived in her own timeline.

She remembers photographing Kate and Victoria's wedding.

She remembers their attempt to get pregnant, using a donor.

She remembers almost dying to the complications of her pregnancy and the emergency removal of the dead fetus and her uterus.

She remembers a lengthy aftermath discussion and their mutual decision to stay childless.

She remembers the numerous visits to the therapist to cope with her loss.

She remembers Hazy Lane headlining on a stadium gig for the first time.

She remembers how Hazy Lane disbands for the first time and how Chloe is having a hard time adjusting to regular life without touring.

She remembers how she takes time off from photographing to be able to spend more time with Chloe.

She remembers their second trip, their second honeymoon, to Paris.

One by one, memorable moments fill her mind. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, trips take their places in her mind. Not all the moments are happy but even the worse ones seem to be enriching in their own way. As this goes on, she notices that both she and the other Max are beginning to fade away and a brightening light in between them is beginning to shape into a human form. She becomes slightly alerted by it but her counterpart smiles at her reassuringly.

As she is almost no longer able to make out their fading figures from the brightness, the other brunette holding her hand looks into her eyes and gives a last smile.

"Welcome to your new life, Max," the Other Max says before everything fades into brightness.

-ooo-

"Max! Max! Are you all right? Please answer me!" She hears a familiar voice pleading frantically. She opens her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of blue eyes framed by disheveled blue bangs.

"Oh, thank god!" Chloe exclaims in relief. "I was just about to call an ambulance!"

She finds herself lying on the couch with a towel covering her modesty. _We were just about to go into the shower..._ She then remembers what happened. _I don't feel any different, except..._ She looks again into Chloe's eyes, and she realizes that she is seeing her in a completely different way. She sees her as her long-time lover and partner, as her wife. She lets out a smile.

"I'm all right, Che," she says reassuringly. "I'm probably just a bit dehydrated."

"You sure?"

She stands up, letting the towel drop on the floor as she presses her body against her wife's, wrapping her arms around her and pressing her lips against hers.

"Yeah, I think everything's going to be just fine."

**The end**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Holidays and surprise!
> 
> I didn't originally plan to write an epilogue to this story. But based on the feedback and my own second thoughts, I decided to write a short epilogue that'll tie up some loose ends. A sort of coda, if you will.
> 
> I intentionally decided to use the present tense in this chapter as opposed to the past tense in other chapters. I also decided to refer Max only as 'she', which actually proved to be quite challenging as she is having a conversation with her counterpart from other timeline. The reasoning between these two things is that I wanted to separate the epilogue a bit from the rest of the story.
> 
> I already gave my shoutouts and thanks in the previous chapter, so I'll just wish you all a Happy New Year!


End file.
